New Mountain Engine
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: Owing to the ever-increasing tourists to the Culdee Fell Railway, the manager, Mr Richards, in conjunction with the Fat Controller, have decided to build a new engine to help. But the new engine is skittish and incredibly shy, which makes her dangerous as a mountain engine. Can she learn to overcome her fears, or will she suffer the same fate as Godred...?
1. Chapter 1 - Old and New Engines

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Old and New Engines

Early one evening, the Fat Controller came to see Thomas, who, along with Percy, Toby and Daisy, was being 'bedded down' for the night inside their comfortable shed at Ffarquhar.

"Thomas," the Fat Controller said, "It has come to my attention that the timing of your motion gear has gone out of alignment, so I'm sending you to the Works to have that attended to. While it's a fairly straightforward process, it will take several weeks. Percy and Daisy can manage your work while you're away. It will mean making some slight alterations to the timetable, but it won't be for long."

"Yes, Sir," Thomas replied. While he understood that these routine maintenance procedures were essential to keep him in good, working condition, they were still a huge inconvenience for everyone. He only hoped he wouldn't be away too long. The last time his motion gear had been re-aligned, he'd been at the Works for just over two months.

"My biggest problem has been figuring out how to get you to the Works," the Fat Controller continued. "I've decided that the best way is for you to travel 'light engine' to Wellsworth first thing in the morning, so you don't delay any trains. Edward will meet you at Wellsworth at eight o'clock with a special goods train that he needs to take to Vicarstown, and you'll 'double-head' the goods train as far as the Works."

"Yes, Sir," Thomas agreed, smiling a little. It had been years since he'd last worked with Edward, so it'd make a nice change for him, even if it was only for one journey.

"That's settled then," the Fat Controller said, and he returned to his car.

…

As the sun rose early the next morning, Thomas set off running 'light engine' towards Wellsworth. He really enjoyed being up at that time of day, when there was hardly anyone around. At the Junction, he had to wait until Henry had passed him with the "Flying Kipper' before he was allowed to run onto the mainline.

"Peep! Peep!" Henry whistled cheerfully to Thomas as he swept through the station. Thomas responded by sounding his own whistle.

"Morning, Henry!" he called.

But Henry didn't hear him and continued on his way. Thomas didn't mind though. As soon as the signal dropped, he continued on his way.

Like most branchline engines, Thomas didn't often get to venture onto the main line, so he relished the opportunity to do so. He wanted to go fast, but his driver wouldn't let him.

"It's too dangerous, since your wheels are out of alignment," the driver explained. "Maybe on the way back from the Works, but not today."

Before long, Thomas arrived at Wellsworth. The signalman shunted him into a siding, where he could wait safely for Edward. Because of his early start, Thomas was feeling tired now, so he went to sleep.

"Peep! Peep!"

Startled, Thomas jumped awake. Over at the platform was Edward, waiting with his special goods train.

"Sorry to wake you, sleepyhead, but we've got work to do," Edward teased kindly. "I didn't want to wake you, since you looked so peaceful, but my driver doesn't want us to be late, or we'll hold up Pip and Emma with the Express, and you know the Fat Controller wouldn't like that."

Yawning, Thomas backed down in front of Edward, and was coupled up. "Sorry, Edward," he apologised. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"That's all right. I understand. We older engines need to stick together. I'm ready when you are."

Working together, the two engines managed to get the heavy goods train going again. These troublesome trucks were used to Edward, but many of them had never seen Thomas before, and so they were keen to have some fun.

"Bump 'em! Bump 'em!" they whispered to each other.

But Edward was well prepared for their tricks, and Thomas, remembering the tips Edward had taught him many years earlier, was able to help him keep the naughty trucks in check. By the time they reached Crovan's Gate, the trucks had given up their nonsense, leaving the two engines exhausted, but triumphant.

"Thanks for your help, Thomas," Edward panted.

"You're welcome," Thomas replied as he was uncoupled from the train. He was then directed over to the Works by a shunter.

Upon entering the Works, Thomas was surprised to find it rather empty. Normally, it was a very busy place, even when none of the Fat Controller's engines were there. That was because the fitters there were always busy manufacturing new parts for the engines from scratch, which couldn't be made anywhere else.

As the shunter showed Thomas' crew where to stop him, Thomas noticed with relief that he wouldn't be alone. Over on one of the narrow-gauge lines, standing over an inspection pit, was a peculiar-looking engine. Her boiler was slanted downwards, and her motion gear was back-to-front. Her brand new royal purple and red paint glistened in the sunlight beaming through the glass roof of the workshop. The little engine was fast asleep. Thomas recognised her strange design at once. She was a mountain engine.

"What's she in here for?" Thomas asked the first fitter that came over to him.

The fitter glanced at the mountain engine. "She's brand new. We've just finished building her. We haven't even woken her up yet."

Thomas was immediately excited. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one yet. Anyway, I just came over to tell you that we're going to let you cool down for the rest of the day, and tomorrow morning, we'll jack you up so we can safely remove your motion gear."

Thomas continued to stare at the little mountain engine. "When will you be waking her up?"

"This afternoon," the fitter replied, smiling. "At least you'll have someone to talk to."

The afternoon couldn't come soon enough for Thomas. As his boiler cooled, he watched the fitters work. Most engines were afraid of the works, because of all the frightening noises and machines, but Thomas had been here often enough to not be afraid of anything the fitters did to him.

Finally, the time came for the fitters to wake the new engine. Thomas watched with excited anticipation as they lit her fire for the very first time. It reminded him of the moment he'd first woken up, over a hundred years ago now. He couldn't help smiling when he saw her eyes twitch. To him, there was nothing more amazing or innocent than seeing a brand new engine waking up for the very first time.

As the new engine's steam pressure rose, she began to stir. Thomas grinned when he saw her slowly blink open her eyes. It was difficult for anyone to comprehend that this engine had never had any conscious or subconscious thought. But that was about to change.

"Hello!" Thomas called cheerfully. "My name's Thomas. Welcome to the Island of Sodor."

The new engine just blinked in complete bewilderment. Clearly, she had no idea what to say.

 **Please review! Your feedback really helps keep me motivated, and it lets me know if your enjoying my stories.**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Journey Begins

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

The Journey Begins

All the initial tests on the new engine went smoothly, albeit for a few minor teething problems that were quickly corrected. She didn't talk much during the day when the men were around her, but at night, she spoke keenly to Thomas. She wanted to know what it was like to pull trains and how to be a really useful engine. Thomas was glad to tell her, and he often included stories to help teach her what not to do.

"Tell me again the story about when you went to breakfast!" the new engine said eagerly late one night.

Thomas groaned inwardly. All the fitters had gone home for the night, leaving Thomas and the new engine on their own. Thomas wasn't feeling very comfortable. All of his motion gear had now been removed to be repaired and realigned, but it had been a rather painful procedure and it had left him exhausted.

"I've already told you that story," he told her patiently.

"I know, but it's so funny! Please!"

Thomas sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, but I'm really not feeling well tonight."

The new engine was immediately sorry. "I'm sorry, Thomas. I didn't know. I'll be quiet now, so you can sleep."

"Thank you," Thomas whispered. He was asleep within minutes.

…

The next morning, Thomas and the new engine were both abruptly awakened by the sound of a door slamming closed. Jumping, they both looked around in bewilderment. Thomas promptly gulped. Coming towards them was the Works manager; the manager of the Culdee Fell Railway, Mr Richards; and…The Fat Controller. The new engine stared at the visitors curiously. She only knew who the workshop manager was, so she had nothing to be nervous about. The three gentlemen went over to her first.

"Here she is," the Works manager said proudly. "We've run all the tests we can on her in here, but she won't be able to be properly tested until we get her to her new home."

"That's fine," Mr Richards replied. He began to walk all around the new engine, examining her closely. She started feeling very conspicuous. Finally, Mr Richards stopped directly in front of her, and he looked straight into her eyes. "Are you ready to go to your new home?"

'Will Thomas be able to come and see me?" she asked.

Mr Richards and the Fat Controller exchanged surprised glances.

"I'm sure we might be able to arrange something," the Fat Controller smiled. He turned around to face his number one engine. "Now, Thomas… How are his repairs coming along?"

"I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news," the Works manager frowned as he consulted his clipboard. "Thomas' wheels need to be turned, so he's going to have to be here a bit longer than we'd originally planned for."

Now it was the Fat Controller's turn to frown. "Very well then. I'll start making alternative arrangements in case you can't have him repaired within the timeframe I'd set aside." He looked up at Thomas. "I'm sorry, Thomas, but these things can't be helped."

"It's not your fault, Sir," Thomas sighed. "I'm over a hundred years old. I can't expect to run as well as I used to."

The Fat Controller kindly patted Thomas' frame. He could see in Thomas' face just how uncomfortable he really was. In many respects, he hated coming to visit the Works. Sending his engines for necessary repairs and overhauls was part of his job, but he hated seeing any of them in pain. In many respects, they were like his own children; he had to praise them when they were good, and punish them when they were naughty – but no parent enjoyed seeing their children in pain. How he wished he could give his engines painkillers whenever they went to the Works, but that was out of the question. Still, he knew they knew that pain was something they had to endure.

With another kind pat, the Fat Controller headed towards the exit, but he paused in front of the new engine. She blinked, looking at him with her pretty hazel eyes. He smiled slightly as he wondered which of the mountain railway engines would be the first to fall for her. Female steam engines were rarer than male engines, but they were beginning to make a resurgence as more of them were preserved to working order. Stepping closer to the new engine, he gently patted her cheek. Her face was as soft as a newborn baby's skin. All his engines' faces were like that – they never aged. Even Thomas' face was still as smooth as the day he'd been built. He definitely did not look or act like he was a hundred years old, even though everyone knew he was.

"I hope you'll remember to be a good engine for Mr Richard's here," he told her kindly.

"I'll certainly try to, Sir," the new engine replied sincerely.

The Works manager smiled. That was more than she'd ever said within their hearing before. It was a sign that she was beginning to trust them.

"I'll arrange for Donald to collect her this afternoon," the Fat Controller said, turning to face the other gentlemen. Turning back to face the new engine, he added, "I'm sure she'll be a great asset for you, Mr Richards."

"I hope so, since we're all counting on her," Mr Richards replied.

"Have you decided what she'd be named?"

"Yes, but we'll have to wait until the naming ceremony tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll just call her 'Number nine'. You'll be there for the naming ceremony, of course?"

"Absolutely! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Sir Handle Brown in half an hour. Good day, gentlemen." And with that, the Fat Controller left.

"Who was that?" No. 9 asked Thomas once they were alone again.

"The Fat Controller," Thomas replied with a small yawn. "He's my controller."

"And the other gentleman?"

"Mr Richards? He's your new controller."

"Oh." No. 9 had no idea what to say about that!

…

Later that afternoon, Thomas listened as No. 9 was carefully lifted onto a transfer wagon to be taken to her new home. He knew he'd miss her, but he also knew that she would make many new friends at the Culdee Fell Railway. That was where she belonged now.

Outside, No. 9 whimpered fearfully as the crane lifted her high into the air. She was only a couple of metres off the ground, but to her it felt much higher.

"I'm going to fall!" she exclaimed as the crane began swinging her over the transfer wagon.

"Stop the crane!" the Works manager ordered. He and his men spent several minutes checking the ropes and chains the held No. 9 securely. He frowned when he felt her quiver beneath his hand. They'd placed rags beneath the chains to stop them scratching her beautiful paint, and to make things as comfortable as possible for her, but one thing was obvious – she was scared. "Keep going, but go slowly," he ordered the crane operator.

Closing her eyes, No. 9 whimpered again as she felt herself swaying. Her eyes snapped open again when she heard a cheerful, but low-pitched sounding whistle. What she saw was a blue and black tender engine reversing to a stop a few metres away from the transfer wagon.

"Ye mus' be der new engine," the tender engine said in his heavy Scottish accent.

No. 9 was too frightened to answer him until she'd been placed safely down on the rails that were secured to the transfer wagon. "Yes. Are you…Donald?"

"Aye! An' it's great ta see a new face around here."

No. 9 smiled as she started to relax. The Works men had already started securing her to the transfer wagon, and it wasn't long before she was ready to go. Donald was gently coupled up to the transfer wagon. Once everything was ready, Donald set off, hauling his precious cargo behind him.


	3. Chapter 3 - A New Name and a New Home

A New Name and a New Home

"Stop!" No. 9 screamed as the crane in the transfer yard at Kirk Machan began lifting her up off the transfer wagon. "It's going to drop me!"

"It won't," Mr Richards tried to assure her. "This crane's lifted engines that are far heavier than you."

Just then, another purple steam engine, who looked very similar to No. 9, steamed over to the exchange siding. Seeing his friendly, reassuring smile, No. 9 calmed down just enough to enable the workmen to unload her safely. It took them several minutes to make sure her pinion wheel was in line with the rack rail, but after a few minor adjustments, she was eventually lowered down onto the rails.

The other engine steamed forwards until he was able to be coupled up to No. 9. "Hi," he said. "My name's Ernest. I'm one of the oldest engines on this line. I've been here for over a hundred years."

No. 9's jaw dropped. "Over a hundred years?" she breathed in astonishment. "I'm only a week old. Do you think I'll get to live as long as you?"

"Only if you work hard and do everything you're told to do," Ernest replied seriously. "I could tell you many stories about what happens to engines who disobey."

No. 9 paled. "W-what happens to them?" she asked fearfully.

Ernest softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. We're not really used to young engines around here. Never mind. Let's get you settled in the shed now, okay?"

Over at the shed, Ernest introduced No. 9 to all of the other Mountain Railway engines.

"This is our number three engine, Wilfred. He and I are good friends. Obviously, I'm number two. That engine over at the station is our number four engine, Culdee. He was named after the mountain, and since he's just finished with the last run of the day, he'll be able to join us soon. This is Shane Dooiney, our number five."

"You may called me Shane, just like everyone else does," Shane said.

"And this…"

"I'm Patrick," the number six engine interrupted.

"Yes…" Ernest said flatly. "And finally, this is Alaric and Eric, numbered seven and eight, respectively. They're twins, and they've just returned to service after being heavily overhauled."

"What does that mean?" No. 9 wondered.

"It simply means that we've been extensively repaired," Eric explained. "Since you're brand new, you won't require an overhaul for at least ten years; maybe even longer if you're lucky."

No. 9 breathed a small sigh of relief. Then, Culdee joined them.

"So, you're the new engine," he said, smiling broadly. "I hope Ernest has been kind to you."

"Everyone's been very kind to me, so far," No. 9 replied. She attempted to suppress a yawn, but failed.

"I think our new friend is tired," Shane announced.

"Yes, we should let her sleep," Eric added. "She's had a long journey, and tomorrow's events are bound to overwhelm her."

Before long, the eight little engines had settled down into their respective berths inside the cosy engine shed. No. 9 fell asleep quickly. One by one, the others also drifted off to sleep. All except for Culdee. He kept opening his eyes to check on the new engine. Since he was one of the oldest engines on the Culdee Fell Railway, he felt a deep responsibility towards the other engines, and it had been years since he'd had such a young engine in his care. He hoped the manager, Mr Richards, would let him teach the new engine everything he knew. If she was smart, she'd be wise to listen to his advice.

Hearing the creak of the side door opening, Culdee quickly pretended to be asleep. Hearing the familiar clang of brass hitting against something, he cautiously opened one eye. Two fitters were entering the shed, followed by the manager. They were carrying two brass nameplates, and the railway's special unveiling curtains.

"She's over there," the manager whispered.

"Right. I'll attach the nameplates, and you can put up the curtains," one of the fitters said quietly.

Culdee watched through one eye while the men set to work on No. 9. Unfortunately, it was too dark for him to see much, but in the flash of the torchlight, he saw a letter on one of the nameplates – E.

 _What of it?_ Culdee thought to himself. _After all,_ _E is the most common letter in the English language._ And with that thought still lingering in his mind, he finally drifted off to sleep.

…

The next morning, No. 9 awoke to find the yard a buzz of activity. Chairs were being set up on the station platform, a brass band was practicing somewhere out of sight, and all of the engines were being washed and polished to perfection. No. 9 contently closed her eyes again. She was still getting used to the feeling of being in steam, but it was such a pleasant feeling.

Hearing footsteps, No, 9 snapped open her eyes. The manager and two other men walked over to her.

"Morning, No. 9!" the manager said cheerfully. "Are you ready for your naming ceremony?"

"I suppose so. I'm just a bit scared because I don't know many people yet."

The manager smiled kindly. "That's all right. I thought I'd introduce you to your driver and fireman. They'll be looking after you from now on."

"Hi, No. 9," her driver said, giving her frame a gentle pat. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

As the manager returned to overseeing the preparations, Culdee steamed up alongside No. 9. "The most important thing for you to learn right now, is that you must trust your crew at all times. Yes, sometimes they will make mistakes, and so it's up to you to learn what's normal and what isn't. And, sometimes, they may want you to do something you're afraid of doing, but they're only doing it because they know what's best for you. Does that make sense?"

"Uh…No, not really. Sorry."

"That's okay. You'll understand soon."

Finally, it was time for the naming ceremony to start. No. 9 shivered a little as her new crew drove her carefully over to the station platform, where many distinguished people had gathered. Amongst them was the Fat Controller. He smiled at No. 9, but she felt too nervous to offer anything more than a small, acknowledging smile back. All of the other mountain engines gathered around the station to watch and listen.

As a wave of silence descended over the platform, the manager stood up on a dais, and he spoke into a microphone.

"Ladies, gentlemen and honoured guests, welcome to the naming ceremony for our new engine-"

 _Ring!_

No. 9 jumped when she heard the loud ringing sound echoing all around her. People started laughing as one of the guests, a young man, hurriedly turned off his mobile phone. As the laughter died down, the manager continued.

"Yes, please ensure your mobile phones are on silent. Thank you. Now, where was I? Oh, yes! As I'm sure you'll all aware, the Culdee Fell Railway has become so popular in recent years, that it's become almost impossible to operate with only seven engines to cater for the timetable we're expecting to start running to within the next year. This meant that we needed to have another engine built, since the options to purchase one these days is extremely limited. For many months, we considered building a diesel engine, since we knew that would ensure that we'd have a new, reliable engine to help power our trains. But the idea of a diesel engine on the Culdee Fell Railway did not appeal to many people, including our many visitors. Therefore, we were fortunate in the end, to have Sir Topham Hatt offer us the opportunity to have a brand new steam engine built at his Works. And today, you can see for yourself the final result – our brand new engine No. 9, who will shortly be officially named by our VIP guest today, Lady Rachel Barrane."

Everyone applauded as an elderly lady was assisted onto the dais. Someone placed a chair behind her so she could sit down, but she politely declined it.

"I may not be as young as I used to be, but I can still stand on my own two feet for five minutes!" she declared, making everyone laugh again. Even the engines joined in.

Once the laughter had died down, Lady Rachel began her speech.

"Thank you, Mr Richards. Ladies, gentlemen and honoured guests. I must admit that I was rather surprised, and flattered, when Mr Richards contacted me, to see if I wanted to officially name this new engine. For those of you who aren't aware, my family has had a long, albeit somewhat distant, relationship with the Culdee Fell Railway. My late grandfather, Lord Peter Barrane, strongly opposed the building of a railway on his land for many years, until he was persuaded by public pressure, that such a venture would be good for the area. As a result, construction of the railway began in 1897, when my dear, late mother, Lady Elaine, turned the first sod of soil. The railway was opened in 1900, with my grandfather taking his rightful place as the first chairman. My family had helped with the funding for five steam locomotives to be purchased, built and shipped over here from Switzerland. Four of those five engines are still working here, which is a testament to those who designed and built them. And now, we have another engine, who I hope, will last just as long."

Everyone stood up as Mr Richards kindly guided Lady Rachel over to No. 9's side, where the curtain was covering her nameplate. No. 9 also had a curtain covering the second nameplate on her other side, but the mechanism was designed to open both curtains as soon as someone pulled the cord.

Mr Richards handed Lady Rachel the golden tassel. "Thank you, sir," she said. Then, in her loudest voice, she said, "It gives me great pleasure to officially unveil this new engine's name." And with that, she pulled on the tassel.

A collective gasp arose from the crowd as the curtains moved aside, revealing No. 9's new nameplates. Then everyone began applauding.

"Perfect name!" someone shouted.

With tears in her eyes, Lady Rachel turned to face Mr Richards. "Sir, I'm touched. She would've been honoured. She loved this railway so much."

"What does it say?" No. 9 demanded to know. "Tell me! Please! Culdee?"

Culdee smiled. "Your new name is… Elaine."

"Elaine?"

"Yes," Eric added. "I believe it means, something like 'shining light'."

Elaine beamed. "Then it does suit me! I love it!"

"I'm glad you do," the manager chuckled. "Because you're stuck with it for life now."

"Unless you do what Patrick did, and you get your name taken from you as punishment," Wilfred muttered.

Elaine frowned thoughtfully. Clearly, the others had many stories to tell her, but they could wait. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the party that was being thrown in her honour.

 **So sorry I've taken so long updating. I've been really busy with uni and updating my other FanFiction stories. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Elaine's First Train

Elaine's First Train

During the afternoon after Elaine's naming ceremony, Culdee was standing in the yard, watching Elaine chatting excitedly to Ernest and Wilfred. Clearly, the young engine was a bundle of energy and full of enthusiasm. Culdee frowned thoughtfully, concerned that her excitable nature might be her undoing. He'd seen it happen to young engines before. Patrick was just one example of a young engine who hadn't listen to his advice. At least Patrick had learned his lesson, unlike poor Godred.

Culdee snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the manager approaching. "Good afternoon, sir."

"Afternoon, Culdee. I was wondering if you'd mind very much showing Elaine around the yard?"

Culdee brightened immediately. "I'd love to do that, sir!"

"Good. I'd be great if you could look after her too. Teach her everything you know; you know what I mean."

"Yes, sir. I was hoping you'd ask me to do that. I'd hate to see anything bad happen to her."

The manager smiled. "Just be patient with her. There is so much she doesn't know yet, but you mustn't overwhelm her. She doesn't need to learn everything at once, and she's bound to make mistakes, just like you did when you first arrived here."

"I understand that, sir."

"Very well then. Carry on."

Once the manager had gone, Culdee went over to the others. "I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation, but I need to introduce Elaine to her coach."

"Coach?" Elaine squealed excitedly. "Do I really get my very own coach?"

"You sure do," Wilfred said, while Ernest chuckled. "We all have our own coaches."

"It's very important that you get to know your coach very well," Culdee explained sensibly. "You see, when you're pushing her up the mountain, she's the only one who can see what is going on in front of you."

"Mountain?" Elaine said, confused. "What's a mountain?"

The engines all stared at Elaine in surprise. Then, almost in unison, they looked up at Culdee Fell, which dominated the skyline to their right. Elaine followed their gaze. Seeing the mountain, her jaw dropped in astonishment.

" _That's_ a mountain?"

"Yes," the three other engines responded in unison.

"And I have to climb it?"

"Yes," Culdee replied. "It's what we were built to do. Come along now. Your coach is waiting to meet you."

Feeling overwhelmed, Elaine followed Culdee over to the carriage yard. They stopped on either side of a sleeping coach.

"Margaret?" Culdee called kindly. "Wake up, dear. I've brought someone to see you."

The coach blinked open her eyes. "Oh! You must be the new engine. I've been very excited to meet you. What's your name?"

"E-Elaine," Elaine stammered.

"That's such a pretty name. My name's Margaret. I'm sure we'll get along well. We've never had a female engine here before."

"Really? Uh, so how long have you been here for?"

"Oh, I've been here ever since the railway opened, well over a hundred years ago. What I don't know about this railway isn't worth knowing."

"Huh?"

"What she means is, you should always ask her for advice," Culdee explained. "You'll be perfectly safe with Margaret. She'll take good care of you, and so will I."

...

The next morning, Elaine was steamed up first. The manager had decided that she should go out early for a test run before the passengers started to arrive. Because of the tight timetable, Elaine was to take Margaret only as far as Skarloey Road, which was about halfway up the line.

Elaine was relieved to hear that. She wasn't ready to climb all the way up to the Culdee Fell summit. As she looked out of the shed doors to the mountain in the distance, her anxiety returned.

 _I can't climb that! What if I slip and fall? What if I can't push Margaret up there? What if I get blown off the tracks? What if…?_

"Right, we're all ready to go," Elaine's driver said, interrupting her thoughts. He gave Elaine's whistle a short pop before he drove her out of the shed.

"Margaret?" Elaine whispered to the sleeping coach as she gently coupled up to her. "Time to wake up!"

Margaret yawned sleepily. "Am I going out today?"

"Yes. The manager wants me to undergo a test run this morning. I'm to take you to a place called Skarloey Road. Do you know it?"

"Of course I do, dear," Margaret replied, waking up properly. "It's a station about halfway up the line. The manager is obviously being gentle with you, because you're so new."

"What do you mean by that?" Elaine asked as she took up the strain to move Margaret. It was the first time she'd ever pulled anything at all, let alone in reverse, but after a small struggle, she managed to get Margaret moving with a jerk.

"Oohh!" Margaret exclaimed, inadvertently waking the other carriages in the yard.

Elaine winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"I know you didn't mean it, dear," Margaret replied kindly. "You'll soon get used to shunting us.

Elaine shunted Margaret over to the platform, where they were uncoupled. Since Elaine was going to push Margaret up the line, it was important that they weren't coupled up for safety reasons. In the event of an emergency, it was far safer for everyone if the coach was separated from the locomotive. Both had automatic brakes, but Elaine didn't know that.

Before long, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. Puffing hard, Elaine began to push Margaret out of the station. Culdee watched Elaine leave from the shed. He hoped she'd be okay.

Shortly after leaving the station, the Culdee Fell Railway crosses the Peel Godred branch line by means of an impressive viaduct. This viaduct is one of the Island of Sodor's lesser known architectural wonders, but sadly, it is very difficult for visitors to photograph. After crossing the viaduct, the line continues on straight up the foothills of Culdee Fell until just after Shiloh Station, where it makes a sharp curve to the right. This was the deviation Lord Barrane had insisted on to keep the railway off his land. In the distance, it is possible to see the Barrane's grand manor house, which, to this day, has an unspoilt view over most of the island.

Elaine was exhausted by the time she and Margaret arrived at Skarloey Road. Pushing up the steep grade was hard work, regardless of the fact that it was what she's been designed to do. While she was being coupled back up to Margaret, so she could pull the coach back down the line, Elaine stared up at the mountain that loomed overhead. She gulped nervously.

"Elaine? Are you all right, dear?" Margaret asked kindly. "I felt you tense up."

Elaine jumped. "You can actually feel me going tense?"

"Of course. We coaches have an excellent sense of touch. Take a few deep breaths and try to relax. You're doing a great job!"

Elaine did as Margaret advised, but it wasn't as easy to relax as Margaret had made it seem. She didn't know why the mountain made her nervous, which only worried her even more. If should could just explain why she felt this way, maybe things would be different.

They arrived back at Kirk Machan just as Culdee was shunting his coach, Catherine, over to the platform.

"That was fun!" Elaine said. "I can't wait until I start taking passengers."

"You'll have to pass the Inspector's test first," Culdee told her.

Elaine's smile faded. "Inspector's test? When?"

"Tomorrow," the manager supplied as he walked between the two engines. "Elaine, you'll be taking a train of V.I.P.'s to the Summit. The Inspector will ride on your footplate so he can conduct his tests. You can't take passengers on this line until you've passed."

Elaine gulped. She really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow anymore.

 **Thank you for your reviews! I'm so sorry I'm not updating this story as often as I would like to. I also** **write in the Cars Fandom, and my readers there have been demanding regular updates, so this story got pushed down my priority list. I will endeavour to have the next chapter finished very soon, as I can promise it will be an exciting one!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Elaine's Test

Elaine's Test

The following morning, Elaine woke up slowly as the warmth of her fire crept slowly through her boiler. She sighed blissfully in her sleep, not realising that she was being watched.

When she eventually opened her eyes, the first thing Elaine saw was a smartly dressed gentleman holding a clipboard and a pen standing directly in front of her. Startled, she gasped and jumped. Frowning, the gentleman wrote something down on the paper attached to his clipboard.

"Wh-who are you?" Elaine asked, earning another frown from the gentleman.

"I am a railway inspector," the gentleman replied sternly. "And you will address me as 'sir'."

Elaine gulped. "Yes…sir."

The inspector began to walk all around Elaine, touching her occasionally, especially when he crouched down to inspect her brakes and other parts underneath her. Inside her cab, the fireman was chatting quietly with the firelighter. Elaine exhaled deeply. The inspector was really making her nervous.

Finally, Elaine had raised enough steam to enable her to move. She steamed cautiously out of the shed. The manager was standing beside the inspector.

"Elaine, the inspector wants you to collect you coach and bring her over to the platform. You will then take a group of VIPs up to the Summit."

"Yes, sir," Elaine replied. "But, sir…?"

"What is it?"

Elaine sighed. "Never mind." She knew that he wouldn't be able to understand why she was so nervous about going up to the Summit.

The inspector climbed up onto Elaine's footplate, so he could keep a close eye on her throughout her test. Elaine had no problems collecting Margaret, and she brought her over to the station.

"I'm really nervous about this test, Margaret," Elaine confessed to her coach.

"You'll be fine," Margaret tried to reassure her. "I know the inspector seems to be rather strict, but he'll be fair to you, I'm sure."

"I hope so," Elaine whimpered. She watched as the VIPs began to arrive. Amongst them was the Fat Controller, and the men who'd built her. They boarded Margaret, and as soon as the guard blew his whistle, Elaine began pushing Margaret along the line. Culdee watched them depart from the engine shed.

"Good luck, Elaine!" he called out.

Elaine made good time to Skarloey Road. From there, the line rose steeply all the way up to Devil's Back, where they paused for a rest so Elaine could have her water tanks refilled. Elaine gulped nervously when she saw where the line went. It curved around sharply to the right along a steep ridge, before it levelled out closer to the Summit of Culdee Fell. A shiver ran through her.

 _I can't go up there!_ she thought desperately. _I can't! It's too high!_

The guard blew his whistle, and everyone quickly reboarded the train. Elaine's driver opened up the regulator, forcing her to move forwards along the ridge.

As soon as she'd left the shelter of the station, the wind hit them. It was only a mild breeze, but to Elaine it felt like a gale. She whimpered fearfully before making the mistake of looking down to her left. There was nothing there except for a sheer cliff! Yelping, Elaine squeezed her eyes tightly closed.

By the time Elaine reached the Summit, she was a nervous wreck. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and tears were streaming from her eyes as she came to a shaky stop at the platform. Margaret was very concerned for her.

"You did a good job, dear," she told her kindly. "It's very important for you not to go too fast on this railway, especially when you're climbing or descending the steep grades."

Elaine just whimpered in response. The inspector was still watching her closely, even though the manager and the Fat Controller had gone over to the lookout, to admire the view. As Elaine began to calm down, she also glanced around at the view. Even she had to admit that coming up to the Summit was worth it. She could see all the way across the whole south-east end of the Island, and all the way over to the mainland of England. It was a truly breathtaking scene. At least, that is how Elaine felt about it. She began trembling again.

Shane Dooiney soon arrived with the first scheduled passenger train of the day. "Morning, Elaine!" he called. "You left before I woke up this morning. Isn't it a beautiful day to come up here?"

"Um… I suppose so," Elaine replied. "Does the wind ever get bad up here?"

"Oh, definitely! The breeze today is nice compared with what we sometimes get. However, if the wind gets to be too strong, all trains are cancelled. Except for the Truck. That must get through in an emergency, no matter what."

Elaine shivered again. And the inspector frowned. He could see just how uncomfortable Elaine was, and he wasn't impressed.

Finally, it was time for Elaine to depart. Once again, the inspector stepped onto Elaine's footplate to continue with the test.

All mountain railway engines have two faces, so that they can see where they were going as they descend the mountain. The engines can only use one of their faces at a time, depending on which direction they were going. Once Elaine had been coupled up to Margaret, her driver put her into reverse gear. That automatically made her swap over to the face on her bunker. That way, Elaine would be able to see where she was going. She didn't really _want_ to see where she was going, but she knew she had to for safety reasons. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath to try and calm herself before her driver drove her back down the steep grade. She opened her eyes again when she began to move.

"No! No! No!" Elaine whimpered as the rails seemed to vanish beneath her wheels. Panic set in, despite her efforts to calm it, and she began to tremble again.

Inside her cab, the inspector turned to her crew. "When we get to the top of Devil's Back, you are to let her freewheel down the grade."

"What?" Elaine shrieked. "No! Please, don't do that!"

"Shh, Elaine!" her driver soothed. Leaning out of her cab, he gently patted her side. "It'll be okay."

But it wasn't. Soon, Elaine began to gather speed. She began hyperventilating and more tears streamed from her eyes. Her driver reached for the compression brake.

"Hands off the brakes, driver!" the inspector ordered firmly.

Elaine's driver had only meant to try and reassure her by placing his hand on the brake. He knew that the inspector was conducting a basic brake test that was always carried out on new mountain railway locomotives, but Elaine didn't know that.

"Stop me, please, driver!" Elaine begged desperately. Her wheels were pounding the rails as she continued to rapidly descend down the grade.

"Why don't you try and stop yourself?" her driver calmly suggested.

"I can't!" Elaine yelped, and she closed her eyes tightly.

Just when Elaine was sure she'd derail going around the tight corner, the inspector gave the signal to the driver for the brakes to be manually applied. The driver applied them skilfully, and he eased Elaine to a controlled stop at Devil's Back station.

Once Elaine had come to a safe, but shaky stop, the passengers disembarked. Some were a little bit shaken by the speed Elaine had reached, but they settled down quickly. The inspector also got down, and he went over to the manager. They sat down on a bench to talk.

The Fat Controller looked at Elaine. She was still trembling, sobbing and hyperventilating all at the same time. He frowned with concern. He had never seen an engine look as terrified as Elaine did now. He stroked his chin thoughtfully before he walked over to her.

"Are you okay, Elaine?" he asked her kindly.

Elaine jumped violently, causing her to accidentally jerk Margaret and making the coach scream.

"Elaine! Please, don't do that to me!"

"S-sorry, Margaret!" Elaine gasped. She shivered again.

The Fat Controller continued frowning. Clearly, Elaine was not okay, but he couldn't understand why. He thought she'd done rather well in her test. Sure, there were a few little mistakes here and there, but that was normal and to be expected for an engine as young as she was. The inspector couldn't expect her to get a perfect result.

Clearing his throat, the inspector walked back over to the group, followed by the manager. "Gentlemen. I'm afraid your new engine, number nine 'Elaine', has not met the standards required for her to be allowed to operate safely on the Culdee Fell Railway. If she'd passed her brake test, I would've been happy to pass her, but I cannot allow her to operate in revenue service until she passes the brake test. I'm sorry, but for the safety of the general public, I must fail her."

Everyone immediately began talking at once. Elaine gulped.

"S-so, w-what does that mean?"

The manager turned to face her. "It means that you will not be allowed to work on the line until you pass the brake test. I'm sorry, Elaine. I know you did your best, but the inspector is right to fail you. Mountain Engines require a higher standard of safety than normal engines, and if you can't brake safely on a steep grade, you won't be able to brake safely in an emergency."

"But…I did stop…" Elaine protested.

"Only after your driver took over. I'm so sorry, Elaine, but we must comply with the inspector's orders. When we get back to Kirk Machan, you'll go to the back of the shed until we work out what we'll do with you."

More tears fell from Elaine's eyes, but they were no longer tears of fear. They were tears of disappointment. The Fat Controller also looked very disappointed. He'd had very high hopes for Elaine, since she'd been built at his Works, but now her future was in serious doubt. He only hoped that the Culdee Fell Railway's board would make the right decision.

…

Later, back in the Kirk Machan yard, Elaine's crew drove her into the farthest corner of the engine shed. It was very dark, owing to the lack of windows, and very dusty. Beside her was an old ash pile, and a large spider had woven a web in the corner.

After Elaine's crew had dropped her fire and greased her motion gear, they left her alone. They'd be assigned to another engine until a decision had been made. Elaine sniffled sadly for a while, and then she slowly dozed off to sleep. She was feeling very sorry for herself.

The sound of other engines woke Elaine a few hours later. It was Patrick, Shane and Eric arriving back from their work. Eric's eyes widened when he saw where Elaine was standing.

"Elaine! What are you doing in the back of the shed?"

Elaine sighed tiredly. "I failed my brake test today, so they put me here until they decide what to do with me. I can't run again until I pass that test."

"But…the brake test isn't hard to pass," Shane said, surprised. "All you had to do was apply your automatic brakes."

Elaine's eyes widened in astonishment. "What automatic brakes?"

"The ones you can apply by yourself in an emergency," Eric explained. "We all have them."

Elaine had turned extremely pale. "I didn't know I even had them! How was I supposed to use something I didn't know about?"

The other three engines glanced awkwardly at each other.

"We were all told about our automatic brakes when we were going through our initial tests after being built. But we were all built in Switzerland. Didn't the men at the Works tell you about them?"

"No! If I had known, I would've applied them." She sighed sadly. "So, now that I'm stuck back here, what do you think the men will do with me?"

Again, the other three engines exchanged awkward glances. Finally, Shane spoke up.

"Only two engines have ever been sent to the back of the shed, besides you, of course. The first was our number one engine, Godred. The second was our number six engine, Lord Harry."

Elaine glanced at Patrick, confused. "But, Patrick is number six. Why give him that number when there was another engine with that number already? I noticed that the number one engine hadn't been replaced."

"Patrick is number six, simply because he used to be named Lord Harry," Shane explained. "He was sent to the back of the shed for causing a derailment up at the Summit, and after a few weeks, the manager decided to punish him by taking away his name."

Elaine gasped. "Do you think they'll do that to me?"

"I doubt it," Patrick said. "My name made me conceited, and we know you're not like that. I was given my new name after I helped rescue an injured climber during a fierce gale."

"So, then what happened to the number one engine, Godred?"

Shane looked sadly down at the rails in front of him. "He wasn't a safe engine from the beginning. He never looked where he was going. If he had, maybe the accident might not have happened."

"What accident?" Elaine pressed, growing impatient.

Shane exhaled sadly. "It's believed he hit a stone that got caught in the rack rail, and it caused him to derail at Devil's Back. He fell down into the ravine. Luckily, his coach remained on rails and she stopped quickly, thanks to her automatic brakes. None of the passengers were hurt, and Godred was rescued the following day. He was sent to the back of the shed where he…"

"What? Go on! Tell me!"

"I'd rather not," Shane hesitated.

"Why not? I want to know."

Shane closed his eyes. "He was found to be too expensive to repair, and so they used him to supply spare parts for the rest of us. Eventually, there was nothing left of him, except for his nameplates. They're still inside the manager's office, as a reminder."

A small sigh escaped from Elaine's lips. Shane opened his eyes, surprised to see that Elaine looked like she'd fallen asleep.

"Thank goodness she's a fainter!" Patrick said quietly. "I was expecting hysterics."

"I knew I shouldn't have told her," Shane sighed.

"She has a right to know," Eric said firmly. "We can't be too lenient with her, or she'll never learn."

"What do you think the men will do with her?" Patrick asked.

"Hopefully, if they're kind, they'll give her a second chance," Eric replied. "Especially if we all put in a good word for her. Even shunting around the yard would be better for her than just sitting here in the back of the shed."

The others quietly agreed.

 **Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying something a little bit different. I really like the Culdee Fell Railway, and I wish there'd been more stories written about it, so I thought I'd write my own.**

 **I prefer the Railway Series books and the Classic Series of the TV show, simply because the stories in them were written by people who actually knew how locomotives and railways worked. I'm a trainee fireman (or rather a firewoman) on two different steam railways, so I enjoy writing stories about trains that are, more or less, realistic. I hope that the accuracy is coming across without it detracting from the story itself.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please, don't forget to leave a review. I greatly appreciate them.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Fat Controller Investigates

The Fat Controller Investigates

Just over a week later, the Fat Controller was inside his office at Knapford Station. He was trying to concentrate on the mountain of paperwork in front of him, but he was finding that he simply couldn't focus. His thoughts were solely on Elaine. He now wished that he owned her, because then he'd be able to make sure she was given a fair chance. However, since the Culdee Fell Railway operated independently to his own North Western Railway, much like the Skarloey and Arlesdale Railways, he had a very limited say in their operations. Even so, since Elaine had been built at his Works, he felt that he should have a say in what happened to her now. The last thing he wanted was to see her get scrapped. He hoped that the Culdee Fell Railway board wouldn't be callous enough to do that to her. She was too new to face that terrible fate. What he couldn't understand was why she was so nervous and jumpy. No, it had been more than just nervousness. Elaine had been in fear of her life. The more he reflected on her reaction, the more he realised that there was something seriously wrong with Elaine.

Hearing an engine whistle, the Fat Controller got up from his desk and he went over to the window. Henry was just pulling out of the station with a passenger train. As the Fat Controller watched Henry leave, he was reminded of the struggle his grandfather, the first Fat Controller, had gone through to give Henry a second chance. His grandfather had been responsible for arranging for Henry to have his major overhaul at Crewe back in 1935. He could've easily given up on Henry and had him replaced by a much stronger and more reliable engine, but he didn't. Neither his grandfather nor his father had even given up on any engine, and he was just as determined not to do the same.

The phone rang. Sighing heavily, the Fat Controller picked it up. "Hello? …Really? That is excellent news! I'll be there within the hour. Thank you for letting me know." Smiling, he hung up the phone.

…

Forty-five minutes later, the Fat Controller drove his car into the Works yard at Crovan's Gate. He smiled with relief when he saw that one of the large doors was open. Some smoke was trailing in a thin column through one of the smokestacks on top of the huge building's roof. That could only mean one thing; an engine was being steamed up.

Getting out of his car, the Fat Controller walked just inside the doorway. Thomas was standing over an inspection pit, raising steam for a test run. He'd been at the Works for about two and a half weeks, having his motion gear realigned, and his wheels turned. Wheel turning involved removing the engine's wheels, placing them on a wheel lathe, and then smoothing down the surface of the tyre – the steel outer edge of the wheel, which is what runs along the surface of the rails. All engines' wheels had to be turned every few years, to ensure that the tyres stayed completely round. Hard braking often caused little flat spots to form on the tyres, resulting in uneven tyre wear. Realigning the motion gear meant ensuring that when one side rod was down in the stroke, the other one was at the top of the stroke. That made steaming much easier for the engines, and an engine with correct wheel alignment sounded much better than one whose motion gear was out of alignment.

Thomas had been watching one of the overhead gantry cranes being moved back into position at the front of the building via remote control. He was quite fascinated by the way modern machinery was used to help restore steam engines, rather than destroying them. Glancing down, he jumped a little when he saw the Fat Controller standing quietly in the doorway.

"Oh! Hello, sir! I didn't see you there."

"I know, Thomas,' the Fat Controller replied, smiling. He walked over to Thomas, and gently placed a hand on one of his front buffers, taking care not to fall into the inspection pit. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you, sir. I can't wait to get back to my branch line, and Annie and Clarabel. How have they been? I hope Percy has been looking after them. I've been very lonely ever since that new engine left. How is she going, sir? Has she settled in well? I hope she's happy."

The Fat Controller remained silent while he listened to Thomas' friendly chatter. It was great to hear his voice again. The railway had been far too quiet without him around.

"Thomas!" the Fat Controller finally boomed. "Just stop for a moment and take a breath, before you-"

A loud, piercing whistle sounded as Thomas' safety valves lifted. A fitter quickly climbed inside the cab, and he turned on one of Thomas' injectors. That allowed cold water to rush from Thomas' tanks into his boiler to cool him down and lower the steam pressure. After a moment, the safety valves closed and silence filled the Works building.

"That works!" the fitter inside Thomas' cab called out, to the mirth of his colleagues.

"-blow your safety valves," the Fat Controller finished lamely. He'd heard the subtle warning sound coming from the safety valves about five seconds before they'd lifted.

"Whoops! Sorry, sir!" Thomas apologised, chuckling.

'That's all right, Thomas. I know how keen you are to get back to work, but you still have to pass your tests before you can. Now, to answer your questions. Annie and Clarabel are fine. Percy has done a splendid job looking after them, but everyone's looking forward to having you back. And, the new mountain engine has been named Elaine. She appears to have settled in reasonably well. Would you still like to see her again?"

"Yes please, sir!" Thomas gushed excitedly.

"Very well. I'll see what I can arrange. It might take a while though, so be-"

The Fat Controller was cut off again as Thomas' safety valves went off again. He frowned sternly at Thomas. Cringing, Thomas took a deep breath. The rush of air cooled his fire a little, and his safety valves closed.

"-patient."

"Yes, sir."

The fitter leaned out of Thomas' cab. "I think we'd better get started on those tests before he blows off again."

"Yes, of course." The Fat Controller moved back, out of the way. The fitter sounded Thomas' whistle to warn everyone that he was about to move, and then Thomas steamed slowly out into the yard.

Once Thomas was outside, the Fat Controller went over to the Works manager's office. The Works manager stood up when he entered.

"Good afternoon, sir. I'm glad you were able to come. Thomas will be able to return to work as soon as he passes his tests. I've just been going through Gordon's records, and he's also due for some routine maintenance as soon as you can spare him."

"That shouldn't be too difficult to arrange," the Fat Controller replied. "Now that Pip and Emma are in charge of the Wild Nor' Wester express, I've given Gordon the job of hauling two smaller express trains a day. It's really saved a lot of time, money and the inconvenience of having to swap over engines at Vicerstown. Henry can take over those express runs until Gordon's maintenance is completed."

"That sounds like a good plan, sir." The Works manager closed a large folder on his desk, and he placed it back on the shelf behind him. The Fat Controller smiled when he saw Thomas' picture on the front of the folder. The folder contained the original copies of all of Thomas' maintenance records. He only had copies of those records in his office back at Knapford.

"To change subject entirely," the Fat Controller began, "do you think it's possible for engines to be afraid of heights?"

"Oh, definitely," the Works manager replied. "It a very common fear for engines to have. Most, however, are able to control it reasonably well, or they try and hide it. But you can usually tell which engines are afraid of heights when you see them being lifted by cranes. Gordon and Henry are both afraid of heights, and so is Percy, although it is very rare for engines to have full Acrophobia. They don't have Acrophobia."

"I see," the Fat Controller mused. "How would you know if an engine had Acrophobia?"

"They have similar symptoms to humans. Panic attacks, hyperventilating… You know the sort of thing."

"Yes… So, if an engine had Acrophobia, how would you treat it?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. None of the engines here on the Island have it, so I've never had to deal with it. Usually, when we see that an engine is afraid of heights, we just talk soothingly to them. That helps settle them down."

The Fat Controller nodded. "Thank you for that information. I'll conduct some more research."

"Sorry if I wasn't much help."

"That's okay," the Fat Controller said as he left the office.

Back inside the main building, the fat Controller was following the designated safety path over to the main entrance, when he heard someone calling out to him.

"Sir Topham?"

The Fat Controller turned to see a young apprentice walking over to him. "Yes, young man?"

"I wasn't sure if you should know about this, but I can't get it off my mind. It's about the new mountain engine, Elaine."

"Go on."

"Well, sir, when we were building her, we had to lift her boiler into her frame using the gantry crane. It was my very first day working here, and I'm afraid I didn't secure the front chain properly. When the boiler was at its highest, the chain gave way, and the front end of the boiler landed flat on its smokebox on the concrete. I was very sorry, of course, and I still am. She wasn't alive then, so it would've have hurt her, which is my only consolation. The manager told me it wasn't worth making a report, since no damage was done to the boiler. But when I saw how timid Elaine was once she woke up, I was worried that dropping her boiler might have caused some adverse effects."

The Fat Controller breathed a small sigh of relief. He was beginning to piece everything together, and sadly it wasn't looking good for Elaine. "Thank you for telling me that. That is a vital piece of information, and it's helped me make up my mind."

"Will Elaine…will she be okay?"

"I can't say, but from what you've just told me, I should be able to help her enormously, so thank you."

Leaving the Works building, the Fat Controller saw Thomas standing in the shade at the other end of the yard, chatting enthusiastically with the Works diesel. He was glad that Thomas would be able to return to work a few days sooner than expected. Percy, Daisy and Toby would be happy to have him back with them too. He only hoped that he'd be able to help Elaine get back to work again soon too.


	7. Chapter 7 - Hope for Elaine

Hope for Elaine

"Are you quite sure about this, Sir Topham?" Mr Richards, the manager of the Culdee Fell Railway, asked. They were inside Mr Richard's office at Kirk Machan Railway Station.

"Positive," the Fat Controller replied. "Elaine has Acrophobia, caused by the accident her boiler sustained while she was being built. She can't help being terrified of heights."

"Which makes her too dangerous to be a mountain engine," Mr Richards finished sadly. He began fiddling with his pen. "The railway's board met yesterday to try and decide what to do with her."

"And what did they decide?" the Fat Controller asked fearfully.

Mr Richards stared despondently at his pen while he played with it. "Nothing. They couldn't reach an agreement. And before you ask, the option to scrap her did come up, but it was immediately quashed. We've all invested so much money into having Elaine built, and even with your generosity in having her built at your Works, she still cost us a small fortune. Besides, she hasn't done anything worthy of being scraped. I know she's timid, especially around people, but she seems to get along really well with the other engines, and I know she wants to work hard. However, if your diagnosis is correct, then maybe we need to consider other options. After all, we can't have a mountain engine who's terrified of heights, can we?"

The Fat Controller leaned forwards. "I've been giving this problem a lot of thought, and I've narrowed down your options to two."

Mr Richards looked up. "And what are they?"

"The first is that we could look at having Elaine rebuilt as a normal narrow-gauge engine, and then you could sell her to Sir Handel Brown, to work on the Skarloey Railway. You could then use the money from her sale to build another new engine, but it wouldn't be ready until next summer. The second option, and the one I favour the most, is that we try to teach her to control her phobia. I've done some research, and while it is possible to control phobias, they can never be fully cured."

"I see. And just how would you teach her to control her Acrophobia?"

"I spoke to a specialist over the phone yesterday, and he said that Acrophobia can only be controlled through conditioning. Let Elaine go as far up the mountain as she feels comfortable with, and gradually, over time, she'll start to feel more and more comfortable with the height. One day, she'll eventually get to the Summit without suffering a panic attack."

"That'd work if we could get around two obstacles. One, we need Elaine to run revenue trains safely _this_ summer, and two, she's been banned from running until she passes her brake test. Culdee has suggested that maybe she could be allowed out to help do some shunting in the yard, but I can't even let her do that, or we'll get into trouble."

"So, Elaine really needs to pass her brake test before we can even try to teach her to control her phobia," the Fat Controller mused. "That's not going to be easy. The specialist I spoke to said that there were medications available for people, which help to calm us down and prevent panic attacks, but they've never been tested on an engine. I'm not even sure if it would work. She'd need a huge dosage for it to have any affect anyway."

Mr Richards stood up, and he went over to the window. He could see the engine shed in the near distance, but he couldn't see Elaine in the darkness. He exhaled deeply before turning back to face the Fat Controller.

"Anything's worth a try right now," he said. "But instead of human medication, why don't we try one that's used for livestock? It'd be much more potent."

The Fat Controller smiled slightly. "And I know just where to get some! Let me take care of that side of things. May I see Elaine before I go, please?"

"Of course you may! I think I'll come with you."

…

Inside the engine shed, Elaine was all alone…again. The other engines tried to keep her spirits up in the evenings, but during the day when she was on her own, her fears kept returning to her. She was sure that the men were planning to scrap her, so every time someone approached her, she'd jump and start hyperventilating.

The dusty corner was also severely affecting her health. Every time she breathed, dust got inside her tubes, causing them to slowly get blocked up. She had to cough to try and clear them, but it wasn't very effective. Because of that, she'd now started sneezing a lot too.

Hearing footsteps approaching her, Elaine began to panic again. However, this time, her hyperventilating was so badly strained that she started coughing hoarsely.

The Fat Controller frowned with concern when he heard Elaine coughing. He switched on the torch Mr Richards had let him borrow. What he saw shocked him. Even though Elaine had only been out of service for a week and a half, she looked like she'd been abandoned in the dusty corner for months. Her gleaming paintwork was now dull and covered in soot and dust, while her pretty hazel eyes that had been so full of enthusiasm were now filled with fear and distrust. It tore at the Fat Controller's heart to see any engine suffering so terribly, but what made it even worse was the fact that Elaine was so young. New engines were so impressionable, and he doubted if Elaine would ever forget the way she'd been treated. He turned angrily towards Mr Richards.

"How could you have let her get into this condition?" he boomed. "The poor engine is clearly sick, and she's suffering badly! You should've covered her with a tarp at night, and let her sit out in the fresh air during the day."

Mr Richards looked very sad. "I didn't realise she had gotten this bad. I'm so sorry, Elaine. I just-"

"Stay away from me!" Elaine shrieked when Mr Richards reached out to touch her. Surprised, Mr Richards instinctively obeyed. The Fat Controller sighed and he shook his head. Then, he walked closer to Elaine.

"Now, now, Elaine," he said soothingly. "I know how frightened you are, but there's really no need for you to be like this." And he reached out to touch her cheek.

Elaine flinched. "Please, don't touch me!"

But the Fat Controller placed his hand firmly on her cheek. Confused, poor Elaine burst into tears, and she began coughing again. The Fat Controller frowned with concern. Her cough sounded very painful. He gently rubbed her cheek. That seemed to calm Elaine down a bit, and she leaned into his hand a little. It was a subtle gesture, but it was a positive one. The Fat Controller smiled slightly in the darkness. She trusted him.

Finally, Elaine stopped crying, but the Fat Controller kept rubbing her face. "S-so, when am I going to be scraped?" Elaine whispered.

The Fat Controller removed his hand. "Is that what you're so afraid of?"

"Y-yes. Shane said that Godred had been scraped."

"Godred deserved to be scraped," Mr Richards explained. "He was given many chances, but he never learned from them. You've only had one chance, and you deserve to have more. If we give you another chance to pass your brake test, do you think you'll be able to pass it?"

"Oh, yes, sir! Now that I know about my automatic brakes, I'm sure I…" Elaine's voice lingered off. Actually, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to pass the brake test, because it would mean that she'd have to climb up to the Summit again. And then, if she passed, she'd have to keep going up to the Summit. Maybe the shed wasn't so bad after all.

Elaine coughed again. This time, however, the Fat Controller noticed some black flecks come out of her mouth. He knew what that meant. Elaine's blocked tubes were starting to cut off her breathing. He turned to face Mr Richards.

"I want to see Elaine outside in the yard in five minutes!" he ordered. "She is to receive a thorough wash, and her tubes are to be cleaned out immediately!"

"Of course," Mr Richards replied. He hurried over to the station platform, where Alaric had just returned from the Summit.

Elaine looked up in surprise when Alaric backed down in front of her. However, she was too sick to say anything, so she remained quiet while Alaric pulled her out of the shed.

Soon, Elaine was receiving a thorough wash, and a fitter cleaned out her tubes using a special brush. He filled a whole wheelbarrow full of dust and soot from Elaine tubes, which was dumped far away. Now that her tubes had been cleaned, Elaine stopped coughing, and her breathing returned to normal. She was already starting to feel better, but she was still worried. The Fat Controller and the manager walked over to her.

"How are you feeling now, Elaine?" the Fat Controller asked her kindly.

"Much better, thank you, sir. Are you really going to give me another chance?"

"Of course! This railway needs you, Elaine."

Elaine looked down at her buffers doubtfully. "I'll do my very best, sir. When will the inspector be back to test me?"

"I'm not sure," the manager replied. "It all depends on when he's available. But, I can promise you that I won't put you at the back of the shed again. That was wrong of me to do that, and I'm sorry."

Elaine didn't know what to say, so she just blinked. The manager and the Fat Controller walked away. Then, Culdee arrived back with his coach, Catherine.

"Elaine!" he called out excitedly. "They let you out of the shed!"

"Yes," Elaine smiled. "The manager has decided to give me another chance." Her smile vanished. "But I'm not sure if I really want it."

Culdee was surprised. "Why not? Don't you want to be able to take passengers up to the Summit and see them enjoying the view?"

"Well…I do want to be useful, but I'm not sure if I'm really going to be useful as a mountain engine."

Culdee inched closer to her. "What makes you say that? Margaret told me that you were very gentle with her, and that you didn't bump any of the passengers around. Most young engines can't do that, so you should be very proud of what you can do. Failing your brake test isn't the end of the world, you know. We've all made mistakes."

"Oh, I know…" Elaine sighed despondently. "But it's not just that."

"What is it then?"

"I…I'm afraid of heights."

"Oh." Culdee didn't know what else to say.

"Please, don't tell anyone else," Elaine begged. "I don't want them to laugh at me."

"Oh, I won't!" Culdee promised. 'But they won't laugh at you."

"Why wouldn't they? I'm a mountain engine who's afraid of heights. I don't belong here."

"That's nonsense! Of course you belong here!" Culdee scoffed.

Elaine looked up at Culdee Fell in the distance. "I want to be able to do the job I was designed to do, but… I get so frightened, Culdee. I keep thinking that I'm going to fall."

"I know what that feels like," Culdee sympathised. "I know, because when I had my brake test, I forgot I had automatic brakes."

Elaine immediately perked up. "What happened?"

"I remembered at the last minute, and I managed to stop safely, but I couldn't stop shaking for hours." He smiled reassuringly at Elaine. "Secretly, we've all been nervous going up there at one time or another, but we've learned to control our fear. Being nervous can be good though. It helps keep you alert so you don't make any mistakes."

Elaine brightened some more. "Really? Do you think I could learn to control my fear?"

"Absolutely! But it will only happen if you want to control it." And with that, Culdee steamed away.

 **To be honest, I'm not too happy with this chapter, for various reasons, but I'll let you, my readers decide if you like it or not. I know I'm my harshest critic, lol!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Elaine's Second Chance

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

Elaine's Second Chance

One night, a few days later, the mountain railway engines were all sleeping peacefully inside their shed. Elaine was back in her former shed spot, thoroughly content now that she was being well looked after. Her cough had gone, and she was looking much healthier and happier.

The quiet scuffling sound of a key being placed in the lock in the shed's access door penetrated the silence. Luckily, the noise didn't disturb the engines at all. A moment later, the door was opened, and two figures crept into the shed. The stout gentleman carried a torch, which he took great care not to shine into any of the engines' faces. Instead, he used it to quickly glance at his watch. It was five past two in the morning.

The thin gentleman made his way over to where Elaine was sleeping. Stepping lightly, he climbed up onto her running board. Once he had a secure foothold, he carefully placed a towel directly in line with where the lid of her water tank would land when he flipped it open. The towel would help soften the impact and the noise, and therefore, hopefully, not wake Elaine.

Sure enough, when the thin gentleman flipped open the lid of Elaine's water tank, it landed so softly on the towel that the stout gentleman didn't even hear it. Then, the thin gentleman removed a small glass vial from his pocket. The vial contained a potent sedative. Two drops was more than enough to knock a fully-grown bull out for an hour. Therefore, both men had been strongly advised not to use more than three drops on Elaine at a time. Using a dropper, the thin gentleman carefully administered the sedative to Elaine's tank water. Both gentleman hoped that the drug wouldn't begin to take effect until the following morning, when Elaine's fireman opened up her injector to give her a drink.

Having administered the drug, the thin gentleman returned the vial to his pocket. He then very slowly and carefully closed Elaine's tank lid without a sound. After he'd gathered up the towel, he stepped down off the running board. Both gentlemen then left the shed as silently as they'd entered it.

…

Early the next morning, Elaine woke up slowly. She knew it was the day of her second-chance test, but despite her nerves, she felt remarkably well-rested. Her fireman was already inside her cab, tending to her fire.

A distant cough caught Elaine's attention, and she opened her eyes. The yard was full of mist, but she could see two men coming through it. One of them was the manager, while the other one was the inspector. Elaine yawned sleepily.

"Good morning, sir," she muttered.

"Morning, Elaine," the manager replied. "I'm sure you'll remember Mr Baines, the railway inspector."

"Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr Baines…sir…"

"Hello again, Elaine," the inspector replied. "Your test today will be exactly the same as last time. If you pass it today, I'll be happy to see you enter revenue service. If not…I'm afraid your future will be in serious doubt."

Elaine gulped audibly.

"You'll be fine," Culdee whispered sleepily. "You know what to do now."

"Mmm… I hope so…"

Elaine's fireman turned on her injector, to allow water into her boiler. Elaine simmered quietly while she raised the steam she'd need that day. The manager watched her closely, ready to intervene with a reversing drug in case the sedative was too strong for her. Elaine's crew were the only people besides the manager and the Fat Controller who knew that Elaine had been sedated.

About ten minutes later, Elaine suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness come down on her, and she yawned widely. "Sorry," she muttered. "I don't know why I'm still tired."

"You'll probably feel more awake once we get moving," her driver told her kindly as he picked up a grease gun. He set to work oiling and greasing her motion gear.

Finally, Elaine had raised enough steam to enable her to move. With the inspector joining her crew on her footplate, Elaine made her way over to the carriage yard.

"Good morning, Margaret," Elaine called, stifling another yawn.

"Good morning," Margaret replied cheerfully. "My, you sound tired, dear!"

"I know, and I can't understand why. I had a good night's sleep last night. At least, I think I did…"

"Relax. I'm sure everything will go fine today."

Elaine was coupled up to Margaret, and she brought the coach over to the platform. The Fat Controller and the manager would be the only passengers travelling inside Margaret today. Elaine drew in a shaky breath. Despite her tiredness, a wave of fear had descended upon her. Doubts started to form in her mind as she set off up the mountain.

Halfway up to Devil's Back, Elaine's doubts and fears melted away because she had to fight to try and keep her eyes open. Plus, she kept yawning every few minutes.

"Why am I so tired today?" she asked her crew.

"You probably didn't have a very good sleep last night," her driver casually replied. He winked at the fireman.

Elaine was confused. "But I'm sure I did…"

Upon reaching Devil's Back, Elaine's nerves surged again. She seemed to be fighting between her fears and her sudden tiredness.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right, Elaine?" Margaret asked with concern. "You sound rather sluggish."

"I don't feel sick, if that's what you mean," Elaine replied. She narrowed her eyes with fierce determination. "Let's do this!"

Shortly after they'd departed Devil's Back, Elaine closed her eyes tightly shut so that she wouldn't have to look down over the precipice. She knew she wouldn't have that luxury on the way back down, but she hoped she'd feel a lot more comfortable within herself this time.

Elaine was smiling by the time she reached the Summit. She wasn't feeling anywhere near as nervous as she had the last time she'd been up here, and that had given her battered confidence a tremendous boost.

"It's an amazing view from up here, isn't it?" Margaret asked as Elaine went over to the water column to refill her tanks.

"Yes." Elaine looked around, fully appreciating the view. Then, she saw the inspector watching her closely, just like he'd done last time. Elaine smiled slightly at him, but his stern expression made stopped her and she sighed tiredly.

Soon, Patrick arrived at the Summit with the first train. He smiled at Elaine.

"How's it going, Elaine?"

"Not too bad, I suppose. I can't wait to get back to the shed though. I don't understand why I'm so tired this morning."

"Perhaps you've had some bad coal?"

"I don't think so. It's the same coal the rest of you have had, and you're not tired, are you?"

Patrick frowned with concern. "Maybe you need to have a fitter see you. It could be something serious, especially since you're such a new engine. It could be a result of you spending so much time at the back of the shed."

"Yeah," Elaine said, relaxing slightly. "That could be it. Thanks, Patrick."

Before long, it was time for Elaine to depart. The Fat Controller and the manager reboarded Margaret, and the inspector climbed back onto Elaine's footplate.

"When we get to the top of Devil's Back, you know what to do," the inspector told Elaine's crew.

Elaine grimaced. Since she was running in reverse, she had to keep her eyes open in order to keep an eye on the track. As she approached the top of Devil's Back, Elaine's breathing became more rapid until another wave of sleepiness swept over her. However, this time, it wasn't as intense as it had been before, but it was enough to calm her back down.

As Elaine began to descend Devil's Back, her speed also increased. She knew she couldn't apply her automatic brakes immediately, but applying them too late could end in disaster. Trying desperately hard not to panic, she waited until she was about halfway down the steep slope before she started to ease on her automatic brakes. She exhaled a deep sigh of relief when she came to a complete stop.

"Well done, Elaine!" her driver praised.

The inspector stepped down from the cab, and he began examining each of Elaine's wheels. Elaine frowned when she saw him making some notes on his clipboard. She couldn't help feeling tense.

 _He's going to fail me again! I know it!_

"Relax, Elaine," her driver soothed, and he patted her side. "He's just making sure that all of your wheels have braked properly."

Elaine breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh! That's all right then."

The inspector was smiling a little when he climbed back inside Elaine's cab. "You have the right of way now, driver," he said.

"Clear this side," the fireman said, after he'd looked back up the line.

The driver also checked the line was clear before he pulled Elaine's whistle cord, making her whistle. Elaine gasped when she felt her brakes slowly ease off, but she trusted her driver to bring her safely down to Devil's Back station.

…

Once Elaine had arrived back in the yard, she shunted Margaret into the carriage yard, while the inspector ran through his notes. Elaine was much more alert now that the tiredness had left her, but she was also extremely nervous. She didn't know that the sedative had now left her system.

While Elaine was getting a well-earned drink, the manager and inspector approached her. They both stood directly in front of her.

"Elaine," the inspector began. He glanced down at his clipboard before he continued. "Based on my examination of your performance today, I am more than happy to pass you, and allow you to enter full revenue service."

"Yay, Elaine!" Culdee shouted from the platform, here he was waiting to depart with Catherine. He'd overheard everything that the inspector had said. "We knew you could do it!" He began whistling joyously. Ernest, Wilfred and Eric also joined in the celebration. Elaine couldn't contain her relief.

 _I did it! I actually climbed the mountain without panicking!_

Out of Elaine's earshot, the manager and the Fat Controller began speaking together quietly. Culdee watched them closely. While he couldn't hear what they were saying, he saw them look over at Elaine quite a lot. Unfortunately, the guard blew his whistle then, and Culdee had to leave. He'd thought that once Elaine had passed her inspection, everything would be okay, but the manager's private conversation with the Fat Controller worried him.

 _Everything will be okay now_ , he tried to reassure himself as he puffed along. _They were probably just discussing the new timetable or something trivial like that._

But the more he thought about it, the less certain he was. One thing was sure though. He'd do everything he could to help protect Elaine. However, there was only so much he could do. He was, after all, only an engine himself.

 **Hi everyone! Sorry I've taken so long to update. Life got in the way of my writing. Thank you to everyone who's left a review so far. They've been greatly appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9 - From Bad to Worse

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.**

From Bad to Worse

"I'm so glad Elaine finally managed to pass the inspector's test!" the manager said to the Fat Controller once they were out of earshot of the engines. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Culdee departing with his train. "With the summer holidays starting next week, we'll be able to start using her regularly from now on."

The Fat Controller frowned thoughtfully. "Yes, but what do we do now? The next time Elaine goes up that mountain, she's going to start panicking again."

The manager also frowned. "Hmm… I see your point. We'll just have to continue sedating her, I suppose…"

"No, we can't do that. Aside from being completely unethical, it could seriously damage her. I'd feel much better if we just slowly wean her off it."

"That might work. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, and then see how she goes."

With that settled, both men headed over to the station to finalise all of the paperwork with the inspector.

…

Over the following week, Elaine was scheduled to take one train up to the Summit each day. It may not sound like much, but that was all each mountain engine was expected to do, since climbing Culdee Fell was extremely hard work for them. Just one trip up and down from the summit was equivalent to about three journey's across the whole Island of Sodor for a normal engine. Elaine was given the ten o'clock train, with a two hour break at the Summit, before she returned to Kirk Machen. In the afternoons, after a rest, she could help the other 'morning engines' shunt the coaches in the yard, or do odd-jobs with the work's train known as 'the Truck'.

Each morning, Elaine's fireman secretly slipped two drops of sedative into her water tanks while she was having them refilled. Even though the major side effect was severe drowsiness, Elaine was able to reach the Summit each time without panicking too much. However, Margaret and the other engines began to grow more and more concerned for her.

"You really should ask a fitter to take a look at you, dear," Margaret said to Elaine one morning as Elaine pushed her towards the Summit. It was the third day of the summer holidays, and since Elaine was the newest engine rostered on at the peak travel time, Margaret was completely full with passengers.

"Why? I'm fine…" Elaine replied. She barely managed to suppress a yawn.

"My dear, you're always sleepy, even though you insist that you're getting enough sleep each night. Something is clearly wrong with you, and I don't want you to have an accident."

"I said, I'm fine!" Elaine snapped crossly. She was immediately sorry for it. "Sorry, Margaret. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just wish you and the other engines would stop pestering me about my health. Perhaps I'm just naturally sleepy during the day…"

"Perhaps, but it wouldn't hurt to have a fitter look at you though, would it?"

"I suppose not," Elaine sighed. "I'll tell you what? I'll ask for a fitter to take a look at me tonight, and if he can't find anything wrong with me, will you kindly stop pestering me about my health?"

"Very well then, dear," Margaret reluctantly agreed.

Elaine rolled her eyes. She didn't like Margaret always calling her 'dear', but since the coach was about a hundred years older than she was, Margaret was very much like an elderly grandmother. Elaine was smart enough to realise that old habits die hard, so she just put up with being called 'dear'.

Near Skarloey Road station, there is a sheer cliff beside the line. Even though it is only about ten metres high, abseilers love to use the cliff face to practice abseiling before they do it on other parts of the mountain. Owing to a heavy downpour the night before, there were no abseilers on the cliff today. Unbeknown to anyone at the time, the overnight rain had seriously undermined some of the boulders at the top of the cliff.

Elaine was on her way back down the mountain, so she was travelling in reverse and pulling Margaret, when they stopped at Skarloey Road. Only two passengers got out of the crowded coach. The guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. Elaine started to move, but her wheels suddenly slipped on the damp rails, causing her to catch her breath with surprise. The loud noise of her gasp escaping from her funnel echoed up the cliff face, causing the boulders to vibrate and rock around unsteadily for a few seconds. Then, the loose soil beneath them finally gave way…

Elaine's driver had just opened up the lever on her sanding gear to drop some sand on the tracks, when everyone heard a loud rumbling sound overhead. The fireman looked out of the cab.

"Rockslide!" he shouted frantically as he quickly ducked back inside. He was just in time.

Elaine screamed and closed her eyes tightly as the boulders rained down all around her, stopping her in her tracks, quite literally. She could hear Margaret and the passengers screaming too. Just when she thought it was all over, one of the boulders hit her right between her eyes on her bunker face. She blacked-out instantly.

…

"Elaine? Elaine, please wake up!"

Elaine groaned. She felt dazed and sore all over. Since her crew had now set her directional gear into neutral, her consciousness had returned to her front face; the one on her smokebox. The injury sustained by her bunker face remained with her smokebox face, however. That may seem strange, but with the mountain engines, whatever happens to one face is duplicated on the other. So, if one face gets injured, both faces sustain the same injury (AN: I hope that makes sense!).

Elaine's driver was kneeling on Elaine's front running board, trying desperately to bring his injured engine back to consciousness. Meanwhile, the fireman was inside Elaine's cab on his mobile phone, reporting the incident to the manager. The guard was busy attending to the shocked passengers. Most were uninjured, but a few had sustained cuts from the broken glass. Poor Margaret was in a very sorry state, but Elaine didn't know that yet.

"Elaine?" her driver called again. He tenderly stroked her pale cheek with the back of his hand. "Please be okay…"

The gentle touch was enough to make Elaine slowly blink open her eyes. She was surprised to see nothing but darkness. "Is it…night-time?" she asked in a daze. She had no idea how much time had passed since the rockslide, but she guessed it must have been hours. In reality, it had only been about five minutes.

Elaine's driver drew in a sharp breath. Raising a hand, he slowly waved it in front of Elaine's beautiful hazel eyes. They didn't follow his hand. Shocked, he lowered his hand.

"Just close your eyes and rest, Elaine," he whispered, trying not to make his voice break. He was very close to tears. "Help will be here soon."

Elaine didn't need a second invitation. As soon as he was sure that Elaine had dosed off, her driver got up, and he ran down the track a short distance so he could shed his tears in peace. He'd never cried over an engine before, but he had good reason to now.

Elaine… Sweet, young, innocent Elaine, was blind.

 **I'm so sorry I've taken so long to update, but I suffered serious writer's block with this story right after I'd finished the last chapter. That's why I decided to make a start on my latest story, Ian the Ivatt Engine (if you haven't already read what I've written on this new story so far, please do so!). I know things are looking terrible for Elaine right now, but I promise this story will have a happy ending. I also apologise for the shortness of this chapter. I didn't intend for it to be this short, but I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to add... And no, I haven't forgotten about Thomas' visit to Elaine. As the Fat Controller said, 'it might take a while to arrange'. Thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to reading your reviews.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Elaine Returns to the Works

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me and Speckless Nougat.**

Elaine Returns to the Works

 **The OCs, Ellie and Jim, belong to my friend, Speckless Nougat, and I thank her for kindly giving me permission to include them in this story.**

Down at Kirk Machen, a loud siren echoed around the yard. Culdee had just been preparing for his run up the mountain with Catherine, when the siren went off. He gasped, knowing full well what it meant.

"There's been a landslide!" he exclaimed, more to himself than to anyone else.

Workers began running across the yard and over to the station. "Halt all traffic!" one of the workers shouted to the signalman. He needn't have bothered though, because the signalman was already changing all of signals in his control to 'danger'.

"Oohh!" Catherine whined in dismay. "Does this mean we won't be taking any passengers today?"

"Probably not," Culdee sighed. "Sorry, Catherine. Hopefully they'll have cleared the line by tomorrow."

The manager ran into the yard. "Are any of the engines ready to go up the mountain now?" he shouted urgently.

"I am, sir!" Culdee answered. The manager ran over to him.

"Culdee, I need you to fetch the 'truck', and take some workmen up to Skarloey Road. Don't worry about the passengers. Several ambulances are already on their way."

"Passengers?" Culdee exclaimed, shocked. Then, a sudden chill swept over him as a new realisation dawned on him. _Elaine!_

"Let's go, Culdee!" his driver said as he opened the regulator. Culdee set off, dreading what he might find when he reached Skarloey Road station.

…

Elaine moaned fitfully. She felt so strange and very sore. Bizarrely, every time she opened her eyes, all she saw was a wall of blackness. Moving her eyes really hurt, so she ended up closing them again. In the distance, she thought she could hear someone crying.

"Margaret?" Elaine called. "Are you all right?"

The coach only moaned in response. Blinking, Elaine tried to focus her eyes on something, _anything_ , but she couldn't see at all.

"Margaret, please! I need your help!" Elaine was starting to panic now. Then she felt someone gently touch her cheek.

"Shh, Elaine," her fireman whispered. "You're going to be all right, once we get you out of here."

"Why can't I see?" Elaine asked desperately.

"You've been injured. We'll get you fixed up soon."

"Then will I be able to see again?"

"Probably," the fireman replied. He was an honest man, but he hoped he didn't sound too optimistic. All he wanted Elaine to do was to calm down. Her usual dose of sedative had well and truly passed through her system now, so he was on his own. Elaine's driver returned then.

"How is she?" he asked as he sat down on the rocks in front of her.

"How's Margaret?" Elaine demanded to know.

"She's resting," her driver told her as calmly as he could. "And you should be too, so just take some nice deep breaths, and close your eyes. Help will be here shortly."

Perhaps it was a good thing that Elaine couldn't see Margaret just now. The poor old coach had taken the brunt of the rockslide, leaving her badly crushed and damaged. Really, it was an absolute miracle that none of the passengers had been seriously hurt or even killed in the accident. Margaret had done her job protecting them, but at the cost of being crushed almost beyond recognition.

A distant whistle broke the silence that had descended over the area ever since the ambulances and buses had gone. The guard grabbing his red flag and started running down the line to stop the approaching train.

…

As Culdee rounded the bend, he saw a red flag stuck into the ground behind a sleeper. His driver applied the brakes, and they stopped in front of it. The guard riding in the 'truck', climbed down to remove it. He'd just done so when he heard a guard's whistle. Looking up, he saw his colleague running down the line towards them.

"Proceed with caution!" Elaine's guard shouted. "The rockslide is just around here!"

Once his guard was back inside the 'truck', Culdee slowly and cautiously approached the site of the rockslide. Since he had no idea what to expect, he mentally prepared himself for the worst.

"Oh!" Culdee exclaimed as soon as he saw the accident site. He couldn't think of anything else to say. His mind just went completely blank.

Rocks and boulders were everywhere. Culdee could see Elaine in amongst them, but her beautiful purple body had been badly dented and scratched. Aside from that, he couldn't see anything else wrong with her, but he knew better than to think that she would be okay. _She could've suffered some internal damage_ , he thought despondently. _Poor Margaret looks like she took the worst of the rockslide. I do hope that the men will be able to fix her. I'm so glad Catherine isn't here to see her best friend looking like this_.

"Elaine?" Culdee called as the rescue workers set to work.

"Culdee!" Elaine exclaimed. "I'm so glad you've come at last! Margaret's not speaking to me. Is she badly hurt?"

 _Why would Elaine ask me a question like that? Can't she see how badly injured Margaret is?_

"Um… I don't think she's capable of talking to you right now…" he said cautiously.

"Why not?"

"Why don't you open your eyes and see for yourself?" Culdee meant that kindly, but Elaine promptly burst into tears.

"Ow! I can't see anything!"

Culdee's jaw dropped. He wanted to say something, but no words came out as he realised what was wrong with her.

 _Oh, funnels! She's blind!_

…

It was nearly dark by the time Elaine and Margaret were recovered from the rockslide. Heavy cranes and a couple of lorries had to come by road to the site, since the Culdee Fell railway had no suitable rollingstock for the job. Patrick and Eric were trapped up at the Summit all day, however all of their passengers were able to hike safely down the mountain to Skarloey Road station, where buses transported them to their destinations. Only a few people complained about the situation. The majority of them understood the circumstances, and they tried to enjoy the adventure.

On the other hand, Elaine did not enjoy herself one bit. She suffered a full-blown panic attack when the crane lifted her off the ground, and then the journey by road straight to the Works left her in tears, despite her swollen and painful eyes. Margaret was also taken from the accident site to the Works, but on a different lorry. Elaine didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to Culdee or her crew. Her driver and fireman had been taken to hospital as a precaution.

Upon her arrival at the Works, the lorry parked where Elaine could easily be lifted off the tray by the overhead gantry crane. Normally, by this time of night, the Works would be rather quiet, because most of the workers would've gone home by now. The Works foreman, Jim, would usually be the very last one to leave, and the first to arrive each morning, but sometimes some of the other senior workers would stay back late with him, to catch up on paperwork and other such things. However, tonight, the news of Elaine's accident had kept most of the workers back late. Many of them had personally helped to build Elaine themselves, so to see her injured and damaged only a few weeks later upset them deeply, even though they tried hard not to show it.

"Please, stop!" Elaine squealed when she heard the gantry crane being moved into position above her. "I don't want to be lifted into the air again!"

Jim emerged from his office then, carrying Elaine's record book with him. He accidentally pulled the door handle too hard behind him, and the door slammed closed. Shrugging, Jim approached the group gathered in the section of the Works where the narrow-gauge engines were repaired. He gasped slightly when he saw the extent of Elaine's damage. Her water tanks and boiler were all badly dented, and her purple paintwork was dusty and scratched. He couldn't see any damage to her frame, but he knew full well that a close-up investigation could reveal things that the naked eye could not see. Metal fatigue cracks were quite common after accidents like the one Elaine had been through. He was sure he'd find some internal damage as well.

"What are you all standing around for?" Jim said firmly to the workers. "I know it's sad seeing Elaine so badly damaged when we put so much effort into building her, but the sooner we begin working on her, the sooner we can send her back."

The workers promptly sprang into action. Someone approached Jim from behind. He smiled slightly in spite of himself. _Of course Ellie was going to show up now…_ "Thanks for coming back, Ellie. Sorry to ruin your dinner hour, but this was an emergency."

Ellie had been at the Sodor Works for years. Even though Jim was her boss, she was in charge of ensuring the comfort of all of the engines who came into the Works. She would also look after any non-mechanical issues the engines had, like the time when James got stung on the nose by a bee. Even the most stubborn engine would soon submit to her mothering kindness. However, she'd only returned from a much-needed holiday a week earlier, so even though she'd seen the men building Elaine, she'd not yet actually met Sodor's newest engine.

"What happened to her?" Ellie asked Jim quietly.

"She and her coach were caught up on a rockslide this morning," Jim replied. "None of the passengers were hurt."

"I was going to ask about them. Do you know much about her condition yet?"

"Not really. It appears to be mostly superficial, but she'll need to be washed before I can make an official assessment."

"I'll wash her," Ellie immediately volunteered.

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me?"

Having secured the gantry crane around Elaine's frame, a worker pressed the button to make the crane start to lift Elaine off the lorry. Elaine's fearful whimpering immediately escalated into an ear-piercing scream that echoed all around the Works interior.

"Hurry up with that crane!" Jim ordered.

A few minutes later, Elaine was set down safely on the rails, and the workers dispersed. Except for Ellie. She cautiously approached Elaine, who was still sobbing pitifully.

"It's all right," Ellie soothed. "They've gone now. Would you mind if I come a bit closer?"

"N-no…" Elaine sniffled.

Ellie did so, but she noticed that Elaine's eyes didn't follow her. In order to satisfy her suspicions, she waved her hand in front of Elaine's eyes, just like Elaine's driver had done earlier in the day. Ellie frowned sadly when Elaine's pretty eyes didn't follow her hand.

"What's your name?" Ellie asked casually, even though she already knew.

"I-I'm Elaine…"

"Well, Elaine… It's nice to meet you. My name's Ellie. I'm one of Jim's colleagues. Now, let's see what we can do to help you, shall we?"

Ellie went to fetch her cleaning equipment. When she returned, she quietly set to work cleaning Elaine.

"I hope this water isn't too cold for you?"

"No…" Elaine sighed. Closing her poor, swollen eyes, she tried to drift off to sleep. Unfortunately, just as she'd started to doze off, the phone rang inside a nearby office, waking Elaine abruptly.

"Ellie? Are you still there?" she called.

"Yes," Ellie replied. "I've almost finished washing you. I hope I didn't wake you?"

"No… Is Thomas here?"

"I'm afraid not. He went back to his branch line a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh. Are there any other engines here that I could talk to?"

"Only Boco, one of the mainline diesels. But he's down the back."

"Okay… Um…I was just wondering… Why can't I see anything anymore? All I can see is black, like it's night time or something. Is there…" Elaine paused. "…something wrong with me?"

Ellie hesitated, unsure of how to answer.

"Never mind," Elaine sighed tiredly. "I'm sure you'll be able to fix me."

Ellie frowned with concern. She wished she could be as confident about that as the little mountain engine was.

 **Thank you to everyone who left a review for the last chapter! I'm sorry it's taken a while for me to update, but my friend, Speckless Nougat, and I have been working on a very special little project, which I hope you'll also read once we're ready to publish it (hint, hint!). I know, I haven't made life easy for Elaine at all, but it makes for an exciting little story, doesn't it? Just so everyone knows, I have been blind myself for several days, after I underwent a serious eye operation when I was 12, to correct the muscles in my eyes, so I know exactly what it's like to be blind. I can only imagine how terrible it would be to be a blind engine though. You'll just have to wait to find out how Elaine copes with it.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Elaine's Prognosis

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. The OCs Ellie and Jim belong to Speckless Nougat. All other OCs belong to me.**

Elaine's Prognosis

"Ouch!" Elaine yelped when she attempted to open her eyes the following morning. Her poor eyes were still very badly swollen and sore. Groaning, she kept her eyes closed, while she listened to the sounds of the Works being opened for the day. Then, Elaine sighed contently when she felt the sun's warm rays touch her face. She gladly drifted off to sleep again, basking in the early morning sunlight.

A slamming door woke Elaine again sometime later. Seeing that Elaine was now awake, Ellie approached her. "Good morning, Elaine!"

The grumpy expression on Elaine's face told Ellie that Elaine did not particularly think that it was a 'good morning'. Ellie decided to change tact and try again. "How well did you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess," Elaine muttered. She brightened slightly. "So, when are the men going to start repairing me?"

Ellie kindly patted Elaine's smokebox. "Soon. They're just having a meeting to discuss your condition, and how best to repair you."

"Oh… So, uh…Ellie?"

"Yes?"

"Um… I was just wondering… Is it normal for engines to not be able to see anything after an accident?"

Ellie hesitated. She had to remember that Elaine was still only a baby, so she chose her words carefully. "I'm not the sort of person to beat around the bush, so I may as well just tell you exactly what is going on. At ten o'clock, a specialist eye doctor is coming here to examine you. He often comes in here to examine engines whenever they're here for their annual exam. He's very nice, and I'm sure he'll be able to tell us more once he's looked at you."

"That doesn't answer my question!" Elaine snapped. Then she gasped in realisation. "Ellie? Does that mean that this…blackness…isn't normal?"

Ellie tenderly stroked Elaine's soft cheek. "Yes," she replied in a choked whisper.

"And…" Elaine gulped. "Is it possible that I may never be able to see again?"

"I won't deny that that is a possible outcome for you. But Elaine…" Ellie paused while she sat herself down on a nearly stepladder. "This is going to be hard for all of us. Jim is extremely upset over the possibility that you could be permanently blind, so please try to be brave, for his sake as well as your own. He really cares about you a lot, you know. You're very special to him."

Elaine drew in a deep breath. "Okay. I-I'll try."

"That's a good engine. I'd better go and do some paperwork now, but I promise to be here when the specialist arrives."

…

Inside his office at Knapford Station, the Fat Controller had just sat down at his desk to begin working on the enormous stack of paperwork in front of him, when the phone rang.

"Bother!" he exclaimed as he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

" _Sir Topham Hatt? It's Mr Pearson here…_ "

"Mr Pearson. What can I do for you? I hope Boco's overhaul is advancing nicely?"

" _Yes, it is, sir, but I've phoned to discuss a more pressing matter with you._ "

"Indeed?"

" _It's about Elaine._ "

The Fat Controller frowned. He already knew about the terrible rockslide that had taken place the day before. In fact, he'd been the one to arrange the buses, crane and lorry for the rescue effort. He'd heard that Elaine had been unfortunate enough to get caught up in the accident, but he'd been led to believe that Elaine's injuries weren't too serious. "Go on…"

" _Well, sir… I'm afraid I don't quite know how to say this…_ "

The Fat Controller sighed impatiently and he glanced at the untouched paperwork still sitting on his desk. "Mr Pearson…" he began, but then the Work's foreman managed to pull himself together.

" _We have reason to believe that Elaine is blind, sir_."

The stunned silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity while the Fat Controller tried to absorb this new development. _Blind? Elaine is blind? How? I didn't even know it was possible for the engines to go blind! I guess it's just something I've never even considered… I know we have the engines' eyesight tested every year, but I've never thought much of it._

"What do you propose we do, Mr Pearson?" he asked softly.

" _I've been thinking about it all night, sir,_ " Jim replied sadly. " _Given Elaine's aerophobia, I don't think she should be allowed to return to the Culdee Fell Railway. It was bad enough when she could see where she was going, but now I'm sure she'll be even more terrified. In short, I think she'd be much better off at the Skarloey Railway._ "

The Fat Controller exhaled deeply. "I see… I'll phone Mr Richards and Mr Sam, and we'll come and meet you at the Works to discuss your proposal further. Thank you for phoning."

After the Fat Controller had hung up the phone, he rested his head in his hands in dismay. _Poor little Elaine! I wonder if she's knows what's going on? She must by now…_

Going over to his office window, the Fat Controller looked out at the station. It was the busiest time of the morning, so all of his engines were hard at work. A lump rose up in his throat when he saw Thomas arrive at platform three with Annie and Clarabel. He'd been too busy lately to arrange for Thomas to visit Elaine, even though he'd promised it. Now, he felt terribly guilty for delaying. Sighing heavily, the Fat Controller collected his top hat from the hat stand as he left his office.

Thomas was just about to depart from the platform for a much-needed rest, when he heard a familiar voice nearby.

"Stay there for a moment, Thomas. I want a word with you."

Thomas tried to hide his annoyance, but the Fat Controller was as astute as always, and he noticed.

"I won't keep you long, Thomas. I know you want to go and rest."

Thomas let off steam. "You know me too well, sir…" he muttered.

The Fat Controller smiled. "And I have every right to. Now, I'm afraid I have some sad news for you… Do you remember the little mountain engine you met at the Works?"

"Of course I do, sir! She was named Elaine, wasn't she?"

"Yes… And I'm afraid, she was involved in an accident yesterday…"

Thomas, Annie and Clarabel gasped. "Was she injured, sir?" Thomas asked, worriedly.

"I'm afraid so… But the worst part is that, apparently, she's now blind."

"Oh, no!" Annie and Clarabel exclaimed in unison.

"So…what will happen to her now, sir?" Thomas wondered.

The Fat Controller exhaled heavily. "I'm not sure yet. But when I know, I'll let you know, since you're friends with her. I have to go to the Works now for a meeting about her future. I hope we can all make a sensible decision." And with that, the Fat Controller walked sadly away.

"Good luck, sir!" Thomas called after him.

"Do you think he'll have Elaine scrapped?" Annie asked fearfully.

"I hope not, Annie," Thomas replied sadly. "Elaine deserves to live a long, happy life, just like the rest of us."

"But… How can anyone be happy when they can't see?" Clarabel wondered.

Thomas sighed. "I don't know, Clarabel. Poor Elaine must be absolutely terrified though."

…

Back at the Works, some of the fitters were busily hammering out the worst of Elaine's dents. They stopped when they saw Jim, Ellie and Dr Harrison, the eye specialist, approaching.

"She's right over here, Doctor," Jim said. "I hope that you can do something for her."

"I'll do my best, but I'm not a miracle worker, Jim," the elderly Dr Harrison replied. Knowing that it was important to keep the engines calm in his presence, Dr Harrison tenderly stroked Elaine's water tank. "Well now, young lady," he soothed. "Let's see what we can do for you, eh?"

"Elaine, this is Doctor Harrison," Ellie explained.

Dr Harrison set his worn Gladstone bag down on a nearby bench. Everyone (except Elaine, of course), watched as Dr Harrison pulled out a small vial and an eye dropper.

"Right, Elaine. I'm just going to put some eye drops into your eyes," Dr Harrison said as he approached Elaine again. "This will help to flush out any specs of dust, and it will also help dilate your pupils."

"Open your eyes as wide as you can, Elaine," Jim instructed.

Elaine obeyed. Dr Harrison carefully placed a drop of liquid from the vial into Elaine's left eye.

"Ow!" Elaine exclaimed, and she instinctively shut her eyes.

Dr Harrison sighed. He was used to engines, and humans, reacting that way, so he ignored Elaine's protests.

"Open your other eye please, Elaine."

"No!" Elaine snapped.

Jim stepped forward, and he very carefully began to prise Elaine's enormous eyelid open with his hands. Moving deftly, Dr Harrison managed to get another drop into Elaine's right eye.

"Ow!" the mountain engine yelped again. Ellie kindly wiped the excess liquid away from Elaine's eyes with a soft cloth.

"I'm sorry, Elaine," Dr Harrison apologised as he returned to his bag. "I know it irritates, but you need that for what I'm about to do." He returned to Elaine, carrying a small torch. "I'm now going to take a look inside your eyes with a torch, so please look straight ahead for me."

Standing directly in front of Elaine, Dr Harrison shone the torch directly into the engine's right pupil. After a moment, he swapped to her left eye.

"Can you see anything, Elaine?" Dr Harrison asked her softly.

"No… Wait! I think I can see something…"

"What?" Ellie and Jim exclaimed excitedly in unison.

"What can you see?" Dr Harrison asked Elaine calmly, ignoring the others.

Elaine screwed her face up, as she tried hard to concentrate. "I can see some brown…or very dark red… It's hard to tell."

"I see. And can you see that better if I move the torch over here?" Dr Harrison tilted the torch about forty-five degrees to his right.

"No. Now I can't see it at all."

Dr Harrison flicked off the torch. "Right, everyone. I have some good and bad news. From what I can see, Elaine's eyes have been badly bruised internally. This kind of injury is usually caused by something solid hitting the eyelids. Considering she's just been involved in a rockslide, I'd say that a rock hit her. An impact like that can cause severe bruising anywhere. She was just very unlucky. The good news is that her optic nerves are completely undamaged. The fact that she could see a bit of light is an excellent sign. There is a possibility that she could one day see again."

"But you can't guarantee that, can you?" Jim asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. The best thing you can do for her while she's here is to apply ice packs to her eyes for twenty minutes every two hours. That will help reduce the swelling and the bruising. I know this sounds horrible, but this isn't the end of the line for her. She's young enough to be able to adapt to her condition easily. An older engine would struggle a lot with this kind of injury."

"How long do you think it will be before we know if she will ever see again?" Ellie asked softly.

Dr Harrison shook his head. "I can't put a time frame on that, I'm sorry. As I said, the bruising is severe, and even with the ice, it will still be months, maybe even years before we know for sure."

"Years?" Elaine breathed in disbelief. She began to hyperventilate. "No! I can't spend years all alone in here! Please! You can't do that to me!"

"Calm down, Elaine," Jim soothed, rubbing a hand affectionately on Elaine's smokebox. "I promise, nobody's going to keep you in here for years. We'll work something out soon. You'll be okay. I promise."

The group began to disperse. Jim was just escorting Dr Harrison out towards the carpark, when he saw the Fat Controller, Mr Richards and Mr Sam heading towards him.

"I can find my own way," Dr Harrison said, knowing just how unusual it was for the three railway controllers to show up at the Works at the same time.

"Thank you," Jim replied, trying to keep his composure. "We'll begin with the ice pack treatment right away." Turning, he saw Ellie still standing beside Elaine.

"Ellie! I need you in my office at once! Sir Topham Hatt, Mr Richards and Mr Sam have just arrived for a meeting about Elaine."

 **Wow! Thank you everyone for you lovely reviews! I'm sorry it took a while for me to see them, after FanFiction went nuts, but I have read them all now, and I have been very touched by the fact that you're all loving this story so much.**

 **If you're keen to read more about Elaine's time at the Works, please read the special story that Speckless Nougat and I have co-written together, called 'Shining Light'. It's our first time co-writing a story, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated by both of us. Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Fat Controller's Decision

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. The OCs Ellie and Jim belong to Speckless Nougat. All other OCs belong to me.**

The Fat Controller's Decision 

"You're very quiet tonight, son," Stephan Topham Hatt remarked after dinner that night. He set his wine glass down on the oak dining table in front of him. "What's on your mind? Is it one of the engines again?"

"Yes," the Fat Controller, Richard Topham Hatt, replied quietly.

"Which one? James? Gordon? Thomas?"

"No…It's none of our engines."

"Oh?" Stephan sat up straighter. "That makes a change! Who is it then?"

"Elaine. She's the new mountain engine," Richard added quickly upon seeing his father's confusion.

"Oh, yes! Now I remember… What's wrong with her? I thought you said that she'd settled in nicely."

"Father, will you please give me time to explain what's happened?"

"Right! Of course. Sorry…"

"Father!"

Stephan quickly took another sip of wine to stop himself from talking. Richard exhaled deeply, and he started to explain the situation with Elaine. By the time he'd finished, his father looked very sad.

"Poor little Elaine…" he muttered. He shook his head in dismay. "I've never had to deal with a blind engine before. I know my father never did, and I doubt my grandfather did either. What are you planning to do with her?"

"Well, we're not going to have her scrapped, that's for sure!" Richard said firmly as he stood up to go and throw a log onto the fire in the huge marble fireplace.

"I didn't even realise that was an option," Stephan replied, before taking another sip of wine. "What did Doctor Harrison advise?"

"He said that the only thing we could do was to ice her eyes, and then wait for any signs of improvement. In the meantime, I've recommended that she be transferred to the Skarloey Railway, until we know for sure if she'll ever regain her eyesight."

"That's rather extreme though, isn't it?"

Richard was surprised. "Is it?"

Stephan nodded grimly. "Think about it. It'd cost a small fortune to have her modified to run safely on the Skarloey Railway, and then if she did end up regaining her sight, you'd have to go through the whole, stressful, process again just so you could send her back to Culdee Fell. And, if you were in Elaine's position, what would you rather do? Do you think you would be happy going somewhere completely new, where you don't know the track, or the other engines, or even the people in charge of you, and you're not able to see any of it?"

"No…" Richard conceded, sighing heavily in defeat.

"Moving steam engines around to different railways is extremely stressful for them at the best of times, Richard, which is why we don't like to move them too often. They're incredibly sensitive creatures, and must be handled kindly at all times."

"You make them sound like prized Thoroughbreds!"

"Well, they're not called 'iron horses' for no reason."

Richard smiled and sighed. "But, we can't send her back to Culdee Fell."

"Why not?"

"Well, she has aerophobia, and being blind, she'd probably end up having a panic attack every day, even if we continue to sedate her."

"Sit down, please, son. Your pacing is making me dizzy."

"Right, sorry." And Richard sat down beside his father.

"Now, I don't think Elaine will continue to have panic attacks. Why does she have aerophobia in the first place?"

"She's afraid of heights."

"Exactly. But, if she can't actually see how high up she is… This could be a real blessing in disguise." Stephan finally finished off his glass of wine, and he pushed the empty glass towards the centre of the table. Standing up, he placed his aged hand on his son's shoulder. "You've asked everyone you can think of for advice, but there is one person you've forgotten to ask."

Richard looked up at his father in surprise. "Who?"

"Elaine. You need to ask her what she wants. You can't always tell the engines what to do. Sometimes, you just need to stop talking and listen to them."

"Considering how much you talk; I'm surprised you ever managed to listen to them!" Richard teased.

"I'm just making up for lost time," Stephan replied with a knowing wink. "I'm going to bed. You coming?"

"In a minute. I have a rather important phone call to make first."

With a final pat on his son's shoulder, Stephan left the dining room.

…

Meanwhile, at the Works, Jim was inside the 'blueprint room', where copies of the blueprints for all of the engines on the Island of Sodor were kept under lock and key. No original blueprints were ever kept at the Works, just in case they went missing, or were destroyed in some other way. Some of the original blueprints, like Thomas', Edward's, James' and Toby's, were extremely difficult to track down after the Works was extended during the 1970s, owing to the overall scrapping of their classes. Sure, the Works had had basic drawings of all of the engines before that time, but the blueprints provided much more detail than the drawings did. That was very important nowadays, seeing as a lot of the skills required to build and repair steam locomotives wasn't being taught as much to the current generation. It was sad, but it was also reality.

Jim was making a careful study of Elaine's blueprints. He was taking notes, and trying to figure out exactly how he and his team could alter Elaine to make her suitable to work on the Skarloey Railway. After a few minutes, he put his pen down and rested his head in his hands in despair.

 _It's no good. I can't change Elaine at all! She's already perfect, and I don't want to hurt her anymore…_

Someone knocked softly on the door. "Come in," Jim called, not moving.

One of the workers entered the room. He froze when he saw that Jim hadn't moved. "Uh, sir?"

"Mmm? What is it?"

"I think you'd better come to the carriage workshop…"

Frowning, Jim stood up, and he rolled up Elaine's blueprints. Once they were safely back inside their storage tube, he followed the worker out of the room.

…

The Fat Controller drove straight to the Works first thing the following morning. Sometimes, he wished the Works wasn't clear over on the other side of the island, but he knew that his great-grandfather had deliberately chosen Crovan's Gate for the Works, because he'd had big plans to offer it as an alternative to the mainland Works such as Crewe, Swindon and Derby. Sadly, that dream had never eventuated, but by modern standards, the Sodor Works was amongst the world's best for steam locomotive restoration and preservation.

Jim had just finished unlocking the access door near the offices, when he saw the Fat Controller arrive. The foreman was very surprised to see the Fat Controller there so early.

"Where's Elaine?" The Fat Controller boomed far more loudly than he'd intended to. His voice echoed throughout the enormous building.

"She's down near the front, on the narrow gauge line," Jim replied quietly. "Why do you want to see her?"

The Fat Controller sighed. Then he spoke in a softer voice. "Relax, Mr Pearson. I just want to talk to her. I didn't really get the chance yesterday."

"Okay, well I need to finish unlocking the building…"

"Please just carry on with whatever you need to do," the Fat Controller said hurriedly. He paused in the hallway. "Oh, and I need to talk to you about Boco when I'm done with Elaine."

"Yes, sir…"

Upon reaching Elaine, the Fat Controller stopped nearby so he could watch her sleeping. He really enjoyed watching engines sleep. They often looked so sweet and innocent when they were asleep. Even Gordon snored like a baby, making him appear oddly cute. It was quite a contrast to his usual, pompous self.

Elaine's eyelids flickered, making the Fat Controller smile. She was awake, but she was pretending to still be asleep.

"Elaine?" he called gently.

Elaine inadvertently squeezed her eyes a little tighter closed.

"Give it up, Elaine. I know you're awake."

Elaine's eyes flew open, but she stared straight ahead. "How did you know that? Uh, sir…"

The Fat Controller chuckled. "I have my ways. Now, the reason I've come to see you this morning is because I wanted to ask you something important. I need you to seriously consider your answer, and you don't even need to give it to me today. I suppose you know about the meeting I and others had with Mr Pearson yesterday?

"I…no, sir. Not really, sir." Poor Elaine sounded very nervous.

"Well, you might as well know that we were discussing your future, and the decision was made to transfer you to the Skarloey Railway for the immediate future…"

Someone groaned loudly nearby. Turning, the Fat Controller saw Jim leaning up against a wall. "Are you all right there, Mr Pearson?"

"Yes…" Jim replied. "It's just that…I haven't yet had the chance to tell Elaine about your decision yet…"

 _Darn it! I've jumped the gun again…_ "I see… Well, I'm telling her now. However, last night, I was given some advice, which made me realise that nobody had asked Elaine what she wanted."

Elaine spoke up. "What do you mean, sir?"

The Fat Controller kindly placed a hand on Elaine's smokebox. "Elaine, I want to know, what do you want us to do with you? You have about four options to choose from. The first option is one that has been considered and rejected several times, and that is that we have you scrapped."

Elaine trembled beneath the Fat Controller's hand. "No, sir, please! Anything but that!" the little engine begged fearfully.

"Elaine…" The Fat Controller continued kindly, but firmly. "I said that we'd all rejected that option. So, that really leaves you with three to choose from. The next option is that you stay in here until you regain your eyesight. Of course, it is possible that that may never happen, and in the meantime you could still be working. The third option is what we'd settled on yesterday, and that is that we send you to work on the Skarloey Railway. However, that would mean that you'd have to be heavily modified to suit that line. The modifications would include levelling out your boiler, regauging your wheels, and changing your couplings. It will be very expensive and a logistical nightmare for everyone involved."

"So, what is the fourth option?"

The Fat Controller smiled. "That you return to the Culdee Fell Railway. There's no reason why you couldn't help out on the line doing odd jobs and yard shunting, and other such things that wouldn't involve putting anyone at risk. Besides, you know that line now, and your friends there will be able to help you, I'm sure. But, as I said, I've decided that this will be your decision. I've spoken to Mr Richards, and he's agreed to leave the final decision up to you. We'll all respect whatever decision you make. As I said, you don't need to make up your mind today. When you've made your decision, just let Mr Pearson know, and then we'll make the necessary arrangements." The Fat Controller glanced at his trusty pocket watch. "Now, I'd better get to Knapford. Bye Elaine."

The Fat Controller turned to leave, but then he heard Elaine speaking again.

"Uh, Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Could Thomas come and see me again soon, please? I really miss him…"

The Fat Controller sighed sadly. "I'll see what I can do. Now, I really must go, or I'll be late. Oh, Mr Pearson. I need to briefly discuss Boco with you, don't I?"

"Uh…Please, come into my office, sir…" Jim flustered.

Elaine listened closely to the Fat Controller's and Jim's retreating footsteps. Once she heard the door to Jim's office swing closed, she let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"Morning, Elaine!" Ellie called as she approached the little mountain engine. She'd been hoping that Elaine would be in a much better mood this morning. To her great surprise, she could see that Elaine's injured eyes were dancing and sparkling with joy.

"Ellie! Have you heard the news?" Elaine squealed excitedly.

Ellie smiled, delighted by Elaine's enthusiasm. "What news?"

"Sir Topham Hatt is going to let _me_ decide what I want to happen to me! He just came and told me. Only, I'm worried I'll make the wrong decision. Could you help me, please?"

"Sure! We can talk about it while I put another ice pack over your eyes." Despite Ellie's wish to sit down and discuss the matter with Elaine, she knew that Elaine's physical needs came first. Jim was keeping a close eye on Elaine's treatment, so Ellie needed to attend to that first.

"Is that comfortable?" Ellie asked as she finished securing the ice pack in place.

"It's freezing, but it feels okay. Can I tell you what the Fat Control… I-I mean, Sir Topham Hatt said?"

Ellie laughed. "It's okay, Elaine! We all call him the Fat Controller, and he knows that. So long as we all remember not to say it directly to his face, he's fine with it as a nickname."

"Oh. That's okay then."

Elaine spent the next few minutes telling Ellie what the Fat Controller had said to her. Ellie had tears in her eyes by the time Elaine had finished. _I'll have to remember to thank him later. He's right. We should always ask the engines what they want. Otherwise, we could end up making a decision that could hurt them, or worse._

"So, which option would you prefer?" Ellie asked softly.

"I want to go back to the Culdee Fell Railway," Elaine promptly replied. "I know I'm afraid of heights, but I've just realised that maybe being blind could help me get over my fears."

Ellie frowned thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I don't follow that. Surely, being blind would just make things worse for you?"

"Maybe…" Elaine said doubtfully. "But, I know the line there now, and I really miss my friends there. Especially Culdee…and Shane…and Eric…and Wilfred…and Aleric…and Patrick…and Ernest..."

"Elaine…" Ellie began gently, but firmly. "You have just named _all_ of the engines on that line!"

"Well, they're all my friends! We get along really well together… I miss them… And I'm sure they all miss me too. And besides, I'll have Margaret with me, and she's been on that line for over a hundred years, so she'll really be able to help me!"

Ellie glanced at her watch. It was time to remove the ice pack, so she carefully took it off.

"Your eyes are looking better already," Ellie said. "The swelling has really gone down, and you can open them wider now."

"That's good, I suppose, but I still can't see anything…"

Ellie patted Elaine's smokebox fondly. "You need to learn to be patient, Elaine. This is only your fifth treatment with the ice. Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're starting to feel more cheerful. That's a good sign that you're on the mend at last. I'm afraid I've got to get back to work now, and the men will want to resume your repairs today, so I'll see you again in a couple of hours for your next ice treatment, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Ellie."

Ellie had just started to walk towards her office, when she saw the Fat Controller leaving Jim's office. As soon as his boss had disappeared down the hallway, Jim beckoned for Ellie to come over to him. Ellie obediently entered Jim's office, and he closed the door quietly behind him.

…

Sometime later, the area around Elaine had become extremely busy as about ten fitters worked on her repairs. Despite everything they were doing to her, Elaine was so exhausted that she'd started to drift off to sleep.

Mark, a man in his forties, came over to the group carrying some heavy equipment.

"Hey, Mark!" another fitter named Darren, called out when he saw Mark join them. "What are you doing over here?"

Mark set his tools down on a nearby workbench. "The boss sent me over here to conduct some metal fatigue tests on Elaine, now that I've finished with Boco." He gently ran his fingers over Elaine's nameplate. "How is she by the way?"

Chris, who was also a fitter, and who was having a quick coffee break, replied. "Ah, we're starting to make some progress. I think we've managed to hammer out most of her dents. There's still a few in her boiler casing that we need to get to, but all being well, we should get that done before knock-off time today."

Mark nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. I heard that the big bosses are planning to send her to the Skarloey Railway. Is that correct?"

Darren nodded. "That's what we've been told."

Mark smiled. "Well, given her aerophobia, and now her blindness, I think she'll be far happier working on the Skarloey Railway. Especially considering we had to scrap her poor coach."

"WHAT?" Elaine screamed. Her scream echoed all around the Works. Startled, Chris choked on his coffee, spilling half of it down his front.

"She heard!" Darren exclaimed with dismay.

"Go and get Jim and Ellie! Now!" another fitter ordered a trainee. The trainee hurried towards the offices.

Mark was shocked, and clearly shaken. "I swear, I thought she was asleep!"

"We'll deal with that later," Darren told him firmly as he moved around to Elaine's front. The poor little engine was hyperventilating and sobbing hysterically. He tenderly stroked her cheek. "It's all right, Elaine," he soothed. "Just take some deep breaths. You'll be okay…"

Jim and Ellie sprinted towards the scene, which was actually quite remarkable, considering their ages.

"What happened?" Jim snapped.

"Mark didn't realise she was awake, and he mentioned poor Margaret's fate," Darren explained.

Jim swore under his breath, before turning on Mark. "Go and wait inside my office! I'll deal with you soon."

Ellie stood opposite Darren, and both of them tried to calm Elaine down.

"That's it," Ellie murmured. "Just focus on breathing slowly and evenly."

"Try and get her to sleep, Ellie," Jim instructed. "She's just had a huge shock, so sleep is the best thing for her right now. I'll be back again soon."

A few seconds later, Jim slammed his office door hard, making Elaine jump. Realising that Ellie was the best person to talk to Elaine right now, the workers respectfully dispersed for elevenses.

Ellie sat quietly with Elaine, tenderly wiping the tears from the engine's cheeks, but not saying a word. Words weren't needed now anyway.

Finally, Elaine broke the silence. "Oh...Ellie. They...didn't really scrap Margaret, did they? I...after the rockslide, she wouldn't speak to me...I-I couldn't get her to answer..."

"I'm so sorry, Elaine... There...there was nothing we could do."

Anger rose within Elaine. "You...you knew about this, Ellie?"

Ellie paused so she could phrase her response carefully. "I didn't know all the details until this morning, Elaine."

"But you suspected?" Elaine's voice sounded as cold as ice.

"I...well, yes. Yes I did."

"And you didn't think to even tell me? Did Jim know about this too?"

Ellie exhaled deeply. She might as well tell the truth. "Yes, Jim knew."

Elaine burst into a fresh wave of tears. "I thought you were my friends!" she exclaimed. "I...why would you keep such a thing a secret from me?"

"Jim and I thought that you had enough to deal with just at the moment."

"That's _my_ decision to make!" Elaine snapped.

Ellie reached up and touched Elaine's cheek, but she winced. "Leave me alone, please...Ellie...I want to be alone..."

Not quite knowing what else to do, Ellie retreated to her office, leaving Elaine to cry by herself. It took some time, but Elaine finally exhausted her tears. After three days of heartache and tears, she had nothing left. Except anger.

"WHY?" Elaine screamed to no-one in particular. "Why did this have to happen to me?"

After a moment, Elaine sensed that there was someone watching her. "I said, I wanted to be left alone…" she said tiredly.

Ignoring her wishes, Jim pulled over a stood, which he sat down on so he could talk to her. However, neither of them said anything for several minutes. Finally, Jim spoke.

"I don't know why these things happen either, Elaine. Sadly, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know that doesn't help you feel any better, but now that this has happened to you, we're all going to do everything we can to help you."

"Keeping secrets from me doesn't help me at all!" Elaine snapped as the anger swelled up again. "You should've told me about Margaret as soon as you knew!"

"I was going to tell you when you were feeling stronger," Jim replied, trying to keep his voice even. "We'd only made the decision to scrap her yesterday evening, and you were asleep then. I can promise you, we did absolutely everything we could to try and save her, but her injuries were far too severe. Around here, nobody makes the decision to scrap a vehicle until we've done absolutely everything within our power to try and save it. But, you can be proud of Margaret. Because of her, none of your passengers were severely injured or killed. She gave up her life to save others."

Elaine closed her weary eyes. Her anger had dissipated, leaving her plain exhausted. Jim must've thought she'd fallen asleep, because he tenderly brushed her cheek with his hand.

"Elaine? Are you listening?"

"Yes…" Elaine's voice slurred slightly due to her intense drowsiness. "S-sir Topham Hatt… He said I could decide what happened to me…" And she yawned.

"I know," Jim said kindly. "And have you decided what you want to do?"

"I want to go home…"

Jim smiled knowingly. Standing up, he gave sleepy Elaine a loving kiss on her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, little Elaine. My little 'shining light'."

 **Sorry this is such a long chapter. I've been trying to fit the last couple of chapters around the extended scenes story 'Shining Light', so that those of you who are reading it as well can stay up to date.**

 **Thanks to those of you who took the time to review! I honestly had no idea that Elaine would become such a popular little character. It's also been a real privilege to be able to include Jim and Ellie in this story. I can promise you that, thanks to Speckless Nougat, they will both be returning in my next story, which I'm hoping to start publishing soon.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Elaine's Recovery

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. The characters Ellie and Jim belong to Speckless Nougat. All other OCs belong to me.**

Elaine's Recovery

Elaine slept for two whole days and nights. After the first day, Ellie became so increasingly concerned for the little mountain engine that Jim finally had to pull her aside to explain to her what was happening to her.

"Ellie, please don't worry about Elaine," he said as calmly as he could. "She is currently in a self-induced coma. I've seen engines do this from time to time; usually after they've had a severe accident or shock. Obviously, for Elaine, the shock of Margaret's scrapping was enough to push her over the edge, so to protect her emotions, her brain has shut itself down for a while. I know it can be scary seeing engines do this; especially for the first time, and I try to do everything I can to prevent it from happening, but sometimes things just get out of my control. Like Mark's stupidity…" he added under his breath.

"So… Elaine will be okay then?" Ellie asked quietly.

"Oh, yes. I'm sure of it. She'll probably sleep for the next few days, and nothing we do will be able to wake her. Actually, with her being unconscious, we can finally get around to doing some things on her that we couldn't do when she was awake. And that reminds me… Gordon will be arriving here this afternoon for his annual exam, so could you please get as much done on Elaine as you can this morning?"

"Sure."

"Also, Doctor Harrison will be coming back here tomorrow afternoon to examine Gordon's eyesight, so I thought I'd ask him to take a look at Elaine's eyes again. It will be more difficult while she's asleep, but I'd rather she didn't know about it this time, just in case he says that she has no hope of ever seeing again. I trust that you're keeping up with her ice pack treatment?"

"Of course! And what about Boco?"

"His repairs are almost finished, so we just need to test him, and then he can get back to work, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon."

Nodding, Ellie left Jim's office. She was still very concerned about Elaine, but at least the dear little engine wouldn't remember anything while she was in a coma. Noting the time, Ellie went to fetch another lot of ice for Elaine.

By the afternoon, the Works had become very busy. With Gordon's arrival, and Boco's testing out in the yard, nobody had any spare time to devote to Elaine, so it was probably just as well that she was in a coma.

Boco passed his tests with flying colours, and so he left the Works the following morning. That left only Gordon and Elaine inside the Works. Gordon spent most of his time dozing. He probably wouldn't have even noticed that Elaine was there, had it not been for Ellie dutifully carrying out the ice pack treatment. While Gordon was naturally curious, he was too proud to ask any questions.

Shortly before lunchtime, Elaine began to stir. As soon as Ellie saw Elaine wake up, she went to fetch Jim.

"What's going on?" Elaine asked quietly while Ellie was gone. She was very disappointed, but not at all surprised to find that she was still blind.

"You've been asleep," Gordon told her bluntly. "But it's about time you woke up."

"Why? What time is it?"

Gordon raised his eyebrows in surprise. "There's a clock up on the wall in front of you."

Elaine whimpered. "I can't read it…"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "What number is the small hand pointing to?"

"I don't…I can't… Listen, I don't know who you are, but if this is some kind of a joke, it's not funny."

"My name is Gordon, and I never joke! Now, tell me what number the small hand is pointing to, you silly little engine!"

Elaine promptly burst into tears. "I can't, Gordon! I'm blind!"

"Blind?" Gordon exclaimed, stunned.

Just then, Jim and Ellie walked over. "Shh! Elaine…" Ellie soothed. "It's okay. You're still in the Works. You've just been fast asleep for a couple of days, that's all."

Gordon cleared his throat, catching Jim's attention. The foreman turned around to face him. "Yes, Gordon?"

"Uh, I was just wondering when you were planning to scrap that little engine? I mean, after all, a blind engine is completely useless to anyone, so when you do scrap her, please don't do it in front of me."

"Gordon!" Ellie exclaimed, horrified. But before she could say anything else, Jim snapped, and he slapped Gordon's frame – hard.

The slap didn't hurt Gordon at all, but it did surprise him. Jim grunted in pain, and he clutched his injured left hand tightly.

"Jim?" Ellie called with concern. "Are you okay?"

After taking some deep breaths, Jim managed to compose himself. "Ellie? I'm putting you in charge of the 'Galloping Sausage's' exam," he said, trying desperately hard to keep his voice even, even though he was raging inside. "I'll be in the first aid room if you need me."

Jim hurried away, swearing under his breath. Gordon and Ellie looked at each other in surprise.

"Um…What just happened?" Elaine asked nervously.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to all of that," Ellie apologised to Elaine. "Gordon's comment made Jim snap, and he struck Gordon, forgetting that he's an engine. I can imagine that he's going to have a very sore wrist over the next few days…"

Elaine choked back a sob. "He really cares about me, doesn't he?"

"Very much so," Ellie said kindly. She gave Elaine's cheek a gentle caress. "Don't worry about what Gordon said. We were able to finish your repairs while you were asleep, so once you pass your tests, you'll be going home."

Elaine gasped, and she beamed with delight. "You mean; I really will be going back to the Culdee Fell Railway?"

"Of course! That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yes! But, I really didn't know if it would happen."

"Elaine, when the Fat Controller makes a decision about something, he rarely changes his mind about it. And when he does, it's usually for a very good reason. Now, you just get some rest. Doctor Harrison will be here again soon to have another look at your eyes."

Once Elaine had settle down for a nap, Ellie went over to Gordon. She glared crossly up at the big Pacific engine for a moment before she spoke.

"Well, Gordon… You've gone and done it now, haven't you?"

"I…er…" Gordon looked shamefully down at his buffers.

"Why can't you just learn to keep your opinions to yourself? Listen, Elaine is a brand new engine, but she suffered a terrible accident last week that's left her blind. But being blind doesn't mean that her life is over. She can still work just as hard as any other engine."

"But…how can she when she can't see what she's doing?" Gordon protested.

"She has her crew, and I'm sure she'll be able to adapt fairly quickly. But that's for us to worry about. Now, since Jim has placed me in charge of your exam, I'm going to give you taste of your own medicine."

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Gordon asked nervously.

"I'm going to have you blindfolded for the entire duration of your exam," Ellie declared. "Hopefully, that will teach you to treat those who have a disability with the same manners and respect you'd give to someone without a disability."

Gordon's jaw dropped in astonishment. "But…! You can't do that!"

"Oh, can't I? Just watch me…"

…

Meanwhile, inside the first aid room, Jim was having his wrist looked at by the on-site nurse.

"I'm sure it's just badly bruised, not broken," the nurse told him. "How did it happen?"

"I had a fall," Jim lied. He didn't want the nurse to know that he'd been stupid enough to actually hit an engine. He should've known that he'd come off second best, but Gordon's comment had made him snap. Elaine didn't need to have the other engines thinking that she should be scrapped, along with her coach. Jim groaned in dismay. He'd have to check up on Elaine soon. He hadn't seen her reaction to Gordon's talk about scrapping, but he guessed that she'd be very upset again.

The nurse began wrapping a bandage around Jim's wrist. "Just try not to do anything strenuous with it for the rest of the day," she advised. "And ice it regularly. That will-"

"Help the bruising, I know," Jim finished. Then he sighed. "Sorry, I know I'm irritable, but I've got a lot on my mind right now, and I didn't need this injury."

"That's okay. I understand. But you do need to take better care of yourself at your age."

Jim scowled behind the nurse's back. His age was not something he cared to be reminded about. "Thank you for your help. I'd better get back to work now. Got too much to do, and no time to do it in. At least I'm right-handed!"

…

Dr Harrison arrived shortly after lunch. Due to his age, he struggled a little bit climbing up onto Gordon's front running board, but he managed it with a little help from Ellie.

"Thank you, Ellie," Dr Harrison said as he opened his Gladstone bag to unpack his equipment.

"Oh, you needn't bother about testing my eyesight," Gordon grunted, rolling his eyes. "I still have perfect vision, and I always will. Unlike some engines," he added under his breath, but Ellie heard him. She shot Gordon one of her characteristic warning glares.

"Yes, well, Sir Topham has asked me to be much more thorough with your tests from now on," Dr Harrison explained. "Not that I wasn't already… Now, Gordon… I'm going to shine this torch into your eyes, but I want you to look over my shoulder."

Groaning, Gordon reluctantly did so. After about fifteen minutes, Dr Harrison finished testing Gordon, and he climbed down, just as Jim approached them. Ellie didn't fail to notice that Jim's left wrist was wrapped in a white bandage.

"How'd he go?" Jim asked tersely.

"He's passed," Dr Harrison replied. "Twenty-twenty vision, as usual."

Gordon smiled with satisfaction. "I told you, you needn't have bothered."

Ignoring Gordon, Jim, Ellie and Dr Harrison turned their attention to Elaine.

"And how is our special girl?" Dr Harrison asked cheerfully.

Elaine opened her pretty eyes. "Hello, Doctor Harrison," she whispered, smiling slightly.

Dr Harrison stood directly in front of her. "How are you feeling now? I can see that the swelling has gone at last."

"I'm feeling a lot better now," Elaine replied. "I just wish I could see again."

"Well, why don't I take a look at your eyes again, and we'll see if there's been any change, hmm?"

"You're not going to put those drops in my eyes again, are you?" Elaine asked fearfully.

"Not this time. I'm just going to shine the light in your eyes again, so please look straight ahead."

Elaine did so. She kept still when Dr Harrison shone the light in her right eye, but when he shone the light in her left eye, Elaine flinched.

"Ouch!"

Ellie and Jim exchanged anxious glances.

"Easy, Elaine," Dr Harrison murmured. He shone the torch in her left eye again. "Can you see that?"

"I can see some red… Just like last time, only it's a little bit brighter. Ow! It hurts!"

"Sorry. And how about now?" Dr Harrison moved the torch back over to Elaine's right eye.

"It's black again."

Dr Harrison removed another tool from his Gladstone bag. "I'm just going to have a closer look at your eyes, Elaine. Just keep staring straight ahead…"

Elaine could feel a small lens being placed near her left eyeball. She instinctively blinked. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Just try hard not to blink. It won't hurt…"

Finally, Dr Harrison finished his examination. "You're still icing her eyes, aren't you?" he asked Ellie.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm pleased to say that the treatment does appear to be working. The swelling has completely gone, and the bruising has slightly reduced in her left eye, allowing her to see about the same amount of light you can see when you close your eyes in front of a bright light. I'm going to throw myself into the optimism pool here, and say that I believe that, in time, Elaine will regain some, if not all, of the sight in her left eye."

Jim breathed an audible sigh of relief. "That is good news!"

Dr Harrison frowned. "Not really. People and animals who are half-blind are usually much more skittish and nervous than someone who's completely blind."

"Oh," Ellie said half-heartedly. "So, what you're saying is that, if she's not going to make a full recovery, she'd be better off blind?"

"I'm afraid so," Dr Harrison replied sadly. "But let's not get too downhearted just yet. It's still very early in her recovery, and things may change."

"So, when can we move her back to the Culdee Fell Railway?" Jim asked.

"Hmm… When would you like to move her?"

"Ideally, before the end of the week. I think she'll recover faster once she's back with her friends in a familiar environment."

"I completely agree with that, although her ice pack treatment will need to be continued for at least the next week, to give her eyes the best chance to heal."

"My crew can do that," Elaine ventured. "I doubt I'll get to do anything more than rest for a while anyway."

Elaine could sense that they were all looking at each other, while they considered her suggestion.

"I don't care who does it, as long as they're reliable," Dr Harrison said. "Now, I'm afraid I must go. Goodbye, Elaine. I'll come and see you again in a few weeks."

"Bye."

 **Thank you for your reviews! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the scene showing the Fat Controller with his family. I've always been curious to know more about the Fat Controller and his private life, so I'm hoping to create more opportunities in my stories for similar scenes. I will be honest and say that I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. I rewrote it about five times over the past two weeks, so I guess this will just have to do. At least it covers the main points I wanted to cover in this chapter, and I want to move onto the rest of the story now. Guess I'm just trying to say that I hope you all like it better than I do, lol!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Going Home

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HIT Entertainment. The characters Ellie and Jim belong to Speckless Nougat. All other OCs belong to me.**

Going Home

"Ellie?" Jim said early the following morning. "I want you to light Elaine's fire, please. It's time for us to run some tests on her."

"Who's going to drive her?" Ellie asked as she collected a bucket full of old rags, and an armful of light-up wood.

"Her crew will be here shortly. They haven't seen her since her accident, but they know about her condition. It's important for her to have someone she trusts at her controls."

"I know. I'm glad they'll be able to look after her."

Jim smiled. "Me too. Now, hurry up, please. I want to start her tests as soon as possible. Sir Topham Hatt and Mr Richards are planning to stop by later to watch. Oh, and by the way, why is Gordon wearing a blindfold?"

"Oh, I'm just giving him a taste of his own medicine after what he said about Elaine yesterday. You did put me in charge of his exam."

"Yes… Well, carry on."

Ellie hurried over to where Elaine was sleeping peacefully in the warm sunshine flooding into the Works through the open doors. Gordon was snoring noisily nearby. Another worker shook his head in disgust as he walked past.

"We'll have to take a good look at his smokebox," the worker muttered, referring to Gordon. "His snoring is getting worse!"

Ellie nodded as she climbed inside Elaine's cab. Due to her age, Jim didn't normally ask her to do light-ups anymore, but since Elaine was so special to him, she guessed that he didn't trust anyone else to do it.

While Ellie was lighting Elaine's fire, she took great care not to wake the sleeping little engine. Most engines didn't appreciate being awakened abruptly, so the firelighters were always careful to keep their noise to a minimum.

Once Ellie had a fire going nicely inside Elaine's firebox, she set about oiling and greasing all of Elaine's motion gear. Some of it was a little bit tricky for her to reach, but she did her best. After all, she wanted Elaine to be as comfortable as possible. When she'd finished, Ellie climbed back inside the cab to check on Elaine's steam pressure. The needle was sitting on fifty psi, so Ellie began shovelling coal from Elaine's bunker into her firebox.

As the warmth spread throughout Elaine's boiler, the little mountain engine began to stir. "That feels wonderful…" she murmured in her sleep.

Ellie smiled. She couldn't wait for Elaine to wake up properly. She didn't have long to wait. A few minutes later, Elaine yawned as she woke up.

"Why have I been lit up?" Elaine as curiously.

"You're going to be tested today," Ellie said, and she patted Elaine's doorframe.

Elaine was surprised. "But… Who's going to drive me?"

"I am," Elaine's driver said as he joined them. Standing in front of Elaine, he tenderly touched the little engine's cheek. "How are you feeling, Elaine?" he asked her kindly.

"I'm okay, I guess. Ellie and Jim have really looked after me well, but I can't wait to go home."

The driver exchanged a sad look with Ellie. They were both thinking the same thing – how would Elaine cope with being blind, having aerophobia _and_ working on a mountain railway?

 _I guess we'll soon find out,_ Ellie thought as she stepped down from the cab. "Elaine's all yours," she said to the driver and fireman. They'd just climbed into Elaine's cab when Jim approached, clipboard in hand. He looked straight at Elaine.

 _Try not to show any emotion. I have to be professional about this. And I have to remain optimistic, for Elaine's sake._

"Right, let's make a start… What's Elaine's steam pressure at now?"

"A hundred and twenty psi," the fireman replied.

"Good. That's more than enough for us to begin the test. I want you to drive her down to the other end of the yard, and then reverse her back here. When you get back, I'll tell you what to do next."

Elaine's driver pulled the whistle lever, making her whistle, and he opened up Elaine's regulator. Elaine exhaled deeply as she felt herself begin to move forwards under her own steam.

 _I have to trust my crew. They are my eyes_ , Elaine thought as she made her way down the yard. Being blind meant that the rest of her senses were much more alert than they used to be. She was aware of the warm sunlight on her body, a slight breeze against her face, and her driver's hands on her controls. She could also hear a lot more. She could hear passengers chatting over at the station, although she couldn't make out what they were saying. She could also hear an approaching engine's whistle in the distance.

Elaine was paying so much attention to the small noises that when the Work's diesel sounded his horn nearby, she jumped.

"Ah!" Elaine squealed.

"Steady there, Elaine," her driver called.

"Sorry!" the Work's diesel apologised. "I forgot you couldn't see me."

Elaine scowled. _Well, it would be nice if you did remember!_

Her driver eased on the brakes. Once Elaine had come to a stop, he put her into reverse, and Elaine began to steam back up the yard.

Jim and Ellie watched Elaine from the door of the Works. As Elaine reversed towards them, Ellie looked at Jim.

"Do you think she'll be okay to return to Culdee Fell?"

"Oh, yes," Jim replied with a smile. "She's already gaining confidence."

"Who's gaining confidence?" A well-known voice asked behind them. Jim and Ellie spun around to face the Fat Controller and Mr Richards.

"Elaine is," Jim replied proudly. "Look at her!"

The two controllers watched Elaine return to where they were standing. Elaine's driver stopped her smoothly.

"Excellent!" Jim said as he made some notes on his clipboard. The Fat Controller pointed to Jim's bandaged wrist.

"Er, what happened to you?"

Jim glanced shamefully at his left hand. "It was an accident…"

"Did you have a fall?"

"No, not exactly… Um, Ellie, would you mind changing the points for us, please? I'll get on the footplate this time."

Ellie hurried over to the points lever, and she pulled it to change the points, setting Elaine to run onto the other dual narrow-gauge test line. The narrow-gauge test lines at the Works had both 2 foot 7 ½ inch track for the mountain railway engines, and 2 foot 3 inch track for the Skarloey Railway engines. Due to the limited space in the Works yard, it made sense to run the two narrow-gauge test tracks as dual-gauge.

Once the points had been changed, Elaine carefully crossed over them and she steamed down the other length of test track. Ellie smiled as she watched the little mountain engine steam up and down the yard.

 _Elaine has really grown up a lot while she's been here. I'll have to visit her at Kirk Machan once she's settled back in._

Behind her, Ellie could hear the Fat Controller and Mr Richards chatting quietly.

"See? I told you she would be able to adjust well," the Fat Controller said.

"Here, maybe," Mr Richards replied doubtfully. "But how do you think she'll cope if she's hit by a gale?"

"I'm sure she'll cope just the same as all the other engines. Her youth is an advantage. I'm sure she'll continue to surprise us all."

At that moment, they heard a tremendous 'Whoosh!' as Elaine's safety valves went off. She was laughing by the time she'd returned to the top of the yard.

"That was fun! Can I keep going, please?"

"I'm afraid not, Elaine," Jim told her as he climbed down from her cab. "It's not healthy for you to run on flat ground for long periods. Because your boiler is on an angle, you're supposed to run on inclines. Now, Ellie? Would you like to give Elaine the good news?"

Confused, Ellie blinked. "What good news?"

"That she's passed her tests. She can go home."

Elaine squealed with delight, setting off her safety valves again. Jim wiped a couple of tears from his eyes, and Ellie and the Fat Controller grinned excitedly. Only Mr Richards shook his head.

"I don't like this," he muttered to himself. "I don't like this at all. There'll be another accident if I let a blind engine run on the mountain railway. I'd better talk to the Chairman about this first, before everything is finalised."

…

"What does Sir Topham think?" Lord James Barrane, the current Chairman of the Culdee Fell Railway asked later that afternoon. Mr Richards had come to see him to express his concerns about Elaine being allowed to return to work on the Culdee fell Railway, and as Chairman he was compelled to listen objectively.

"He thinks that Elaine is young enough to adjust to her condition, but that doesn't mean she'll be safe."

"She has her crew."

"Yes, but what if something happened to them? Elaine might not realise, and she could have an accident if she didn't know she had to apply her emergency brakes."

Lord James snorted. "I think the chances of such an accident happening are very unlikely."

"But still possible," Mr Richards insisted. "And what if her crew fall sick or something, and we have to use a relief crew?"

"What about it?"

"Well…they may forget that she's blind, and then what?"

Lord James exhaled tiredly. "Look, Mr Richards, there are hundreds of 'what if' circumstances regarding Elaine's return to service, but I think you're being overly pessimistic about the whole situation. Now, the board has agreed to purchase a diesel engine that will be converted to rack rail, which should be enough to see us through to the end of the summer. We've been meaning to purchase a diesel for years as a yard shunter, but Elaine can fill that post until she regains her confidence."

"She won't. Her aerophobia has seen to that."

"Just give her a chance," Lord James said softly, but firmly. "After everything she's been through lately, it's the least she deserves."

"Fine. I'll give her one chance."

"And remember, it's up to the board to decide what happens to her. Not you."

Nodding, Mr Richard's left the office.

…

Elaine could hardly sleep that night. She was far too excited about returning home. She did, however, manage to get a few hours of sleep, despite Gordon's persistent snoring.

Ellie and Jim arrived at the Works in the morning with some trepidation. While they were delighted to finally be able to send Elaine home, they both knew that lifting her onto the flatbed truck could be dangerous, because of her aerophobia.

"We'll just have to move her as quickly as possible," Jim said to Ellie as they watched the Works' diesel shunting the flatbed inside the building alongside Elaine. "I've made it clear to the men that Elaine is not to be left dangling under any circumstances, like she was when she arrived back here."

"Let's just hope this goes well," Ellie muttered.

"I want you to stay close to Elaine, please, in case she has a panic attack."

"Sure."

Elaine became increasingly nervous as the men secured the chains to her frame, ready to lift her into the air. Just as they were about to start winching her off the rails, Thomas arrived.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he panted. "James was running late with the express, so he got priority at the junction, and-"

"Thomas?" Elaine gasped. "Is that really you?"

Thomas was surprised. "How did you know it was me, Elaine?"

"Easy. I recognised your voice."

"But…"

"Thomas, I may be blind, but the rest of my senses still work perfectly fine! Especially my hearing!"

Jim and Ellie giggled behind their hands. Some of the other workers also laughed, making Thomas' face flush with embarrassment. Further inside the Works, Gordon groaned in despair.

"Oh, do go away, little Thomas! It's bad enough having one silly little tank engine here…"

"Why is Gordon wearing a blindfold?" Thomas asked Jim.

"Ellie's punishing him for picking on Elaine," Jim explained. Thomas looked at the foreman's bandaged hand.

"What happened to your hand?"

Jim quickly hid his injured hand behind his back. "Nothing. And if I was in your place, Thomas, I wouldn't say another word about it."

"But…" Thomas began, but then Jim pointed straight at him with his good hand.

"Do you want me to have you taken to pieces?"

Thomas promptly bit his tongue. He knew that Jim was only teasing him, but he also knew better than to push Jim's buttons. Any engine on Sodor who'd been to the Works at least once knew not to push Jim too far. Duncan had done that shortly after his arrival on Sodor, and as a result, Jim had had his wheels removed for the entire time he'd been at the Works, even though Duncan's wheels hadn't needed anything done to them.

Jim turned his attention to the workers, and he cleared his throat to get their attention. "Now, let's get Elaine loaded so that she can go home…"

Ellie went over to Thomas, and she placed a hand on his buffer. "Jim had a disagreement with Gordon yesterday," she whispered mischievously.

Thomas raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Who won?"

"That depends on who you ask," Ellie replied with a wink. "I'd better go and comfort Elaine while she's being loaded. She'll probably have another panic attack."

As Ellie hurried away, Thomas looked over at Gordon again. "Guess I've missed out on quite a lot that's been happening around here recently!"

The overhead gantry groaned as it began to lift Elaine up off the rails. The little mountain engine instinctively squeezed her eyes tightly shut, even though she couldn't see anything anyway.

"It's okay, Elaine," Ellie soothed. "You're almost on the flatbed now."

Elaine whimpered, but she didn't start hyperventilating. In fact, this time her reaction to being lifted off the rails was pretty much considered 'normal' for any engine. There was no panic attack, and no signs that she was about to have one. Jim motioned for the workers to lower Elaine down onto the flatbed, which they did. Elaine breathed a small sigh of relief when she felt her wheels touch the flatbed's rails.

"Is it over?" she asked, keeping her eyes tightly closed.

"Yes," Ellie said. "The men will just get you chained down to the flatbed, and then Thomas will take you home."

"Is that why Thomas is here?"

"Yes," Thomas answered. "The Fat Controller was very sorry that he forgot to let me come and visit you before your accident, so this is his way of making up for it. We can talk as much as we like until we get to Kirk Machan!"

Elaine smiled as she opened her eyes. "I'll have to remember to thank him the next time I see him."

"Me too."

As soon as Elaine had been properly secured to the flatbed, Jim and Ellie came over to Thomas.

"Take good care of Elaine, Thomas. She…she means a great deal to me."

"I understand," Thomas replied gravely.

Ellie patted Elaine's frame. "We'll come and see you again soon, Elaine. Just try and do the very best that you can do, in everything."

"I will, Ellie," Elaine promised.

Jim nodded to Thomas' crew, who gently eased Thomas forwards so that he could be coupled up to Elaine's flatbed. Once everything was ready, Thomas steamed out of the Works in reverse, pulling Elaine along on her flatbed. Jim, Ellie and most of the other workers waved until they were out of sight.

 **Yay! I'm back everyone! Sorry about the long delay in updating. I was getting burned-out with my writing, so I decided to take a break. I'm really glad I did, because otherwise this chapter wouldn't have been anywhere near as good as I think it is. I do hope you all continue to enjoy this sweet little story.**


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